Melodious Flame
by Minosuke Ichigo
Summary: Being a Nobody was like living without morals. Emotions are feigned, dreams are but a thing of the past. But what if the only thing required to have a Heart was to believe? AkuDemy ON HOLD WITH INTENT TO CONTINUE
1. Track 001 Lollipop

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Kingdom Hearts or any other anime I mention

**DISCLAIMER: **I don't own Kingdom Hearts or any other anime/game I mention/use. I don't own the characters/events from said anime/games, and I can't be held accountable for events that occurred in said games/anime. Oh. And all chapter titles are the names of songs that I feel fit the chapter, and credit will be given to the owners of said songs at the end of each chapter.

**Overall Story Summary:** Being a Nobody was like living without morals. Emotions are feigned, dreams are but a thing of the past. But what if the only thing required to have a Heart was to believe? Belief is the basis of all things and it is a powerful tool if used correctly. This is the story of a pair of Nobodies that wanted, more then anything, to have a heart and to share it with another.

**Chapter Summary:** Demyx has never fit in with the other Organization members, especially with his constant daydreaming and his childish personality, and he doesn't quite seem to grasp the concept of being heartless. This naiveté catches the attention of the Flurry of Dancing Flames, Axel. It's funny how friendship can be forged by something as simple as a lollipop.

**Pairing:** None right now. Future AxelDemy.

**Rated:** T…just to be safe.

**A/N – **At last! My first ever Kingdom Hearts fanfiction of !! Yay for me! As you may or may not have guessed, this will be an AxelDemyx eventually, but right now I'm going to work from the ground up. That's right, folks. This is so far into the past that Roxas isn't even there yet, but he will be by at least chapter five.

Also, everyone give praise for the next Kingdom Hearts game for the DS coming out, at the moment, in Japan! According to news I've read, it stars the Orgy members (Roxas mostly) and features a multiplayer option where your buddy, if they have a copy of the game themselves, can play as one of the other Orgy members such as the favorites, Axel, Demyx and Zexion! PRAISE SQUAREENIX and be sure to buy _**Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days**_when it comes out in the US! Oh, and check it out on the web. The screen caps are AWESOME!

-hackhack- Now that I'm done with the shameless plug for _**Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days**_, onward toward victory! Oh…as a note: I'm SO buying the Japanese version too. I don't care if I won't understand a word of it. I just wanna play as Demyx so badly…-sniffle- Hmm…I wonder if you can switch who you play as or if it's strictly Roxas if a friend doesn't have a copy of it…? I don't see why not…the _**Tales of **_series does it…

Um, anyway, I've babbled on enough (nearly a page!). Let's get this party started!

**Melodious Flames**

_By:_

_-Minosuke Ichigo-_

_**Track 001**_

_-Lollipop-_

They had tried explaining it to him, but they just couldn't seem to get it through his head. The blonde was a daydreamer, a child. Even after so many years, the Melodious Nocturne just didn't understand that he was a Nobody; a heartless shell of the person he once was. He was sweet, kind and playful and loved basking in the attention his nature got him, even when the attention wasn't positive.

Some of the members, like Luxard and Zexion, thought it was the kid's strong point and gave up trying to tell him otherwise, instead trying to lose themselves in their missing humanity. Others, such as Xemnas, Marluxia and Xigbar, felt the blonde's attitude was exactly what they needed to avoid and tried a number of things to try and get the young Nobody to understand, though each attempt was met with failure.

It was a quiet, rainy day in the World That Never Was, just like it always was, but today was a special day. A day that would change the future of the Melodious Nocturne and the way he viewed the world.

Demyx sat outside the main meeting chamber, plucking at the strings of his Sitar as he listened half-heartedly to the muffled conversation going on inside. He knew it was an important meeting, but he wasn't exactly welcome during those, as he tended to be disruptive and slept through it most of the time. He didn't mind, though. It gave him time to mess around with his music.

From the bits and pieces he could hear through the door and over the soft strumming of his Sitar, one of the Organization members had returned from a lengthily mission and was being brought up to date on things he had missed. The number of the member was, Demyx guessed, 8, though he couldn't remember ever seeing a No. 8 anywhere. Of course, he had wondered where the missing number had gone since the order of members went 1 to 7, then skipped to 9 to 12.

Shrugging, he rested his Sitar against his shoulder, grabbing a pencil and scribbling some music notes on a piece of paper. He stuck the pencil in his mouth and began playing the notes again; pausing to make corrections whenever he felt a different note was needed to make it flow better. Four pages later, the doors finally opened and Demyx pulled his knees and Sitar close to avoid getting crushed by the doors, watching the other Organization members walk off toward their separate rooms or areas.

He carefully set his Sitar aside and began gathering his papers, humming the song he was working on, the tune muffled behind the pencil. Said pencil fell from his lips and he blinked, reaching to pick it up. He paused when a gloved hand reached it before his, and he followed the hand up to the face of the owner of the hand. Peridot eyes met his and the man, striking and handsome, smirked, straightening and holding out the pencil as he said in a voice that sent a shiver up Demyx's spine, "Yours?" For a moment, the blonde was quiet, just taking in every detail of the tall man before him.

His bright red hair was spiked back and out of his face, which was smooth, yet sharp and his Organization uniform hugged his figure tightly, the top partially unzipped and exposing a bit of naked chest and finely toned muscles. Tear-drop tattoos rested under both bright eyes.

"Uh…" Demyx finally responded with a vague sound of acknowledgement and nodded, scrambling to stand and not drop his papers or Sitar as he reached to take the pencil. He squeaked when the pencil was jerked away and he was shoved against the wall, dropping his notes. His Sitar fell from his fingers, but the man used the hand with the pencil to catch it, holding the musical instrument carefully. He leaned close, his eyes seeming to see every weakness and strength in the other male, who shifted and pressed himself as far back against the wall as he could as he asked shakily, "Uh, erm, w-what do ya need? Is there something on my face?"

The man smirked and pulled away, pushing the Sitar into the smaller man's arms before backed up a couple steps and looking him over. "So you must be Demyx, the Melodious Nocturne, right?" The blonde smiled brightly and nodded. Few referred to him by name, and ones that did (Luxard) always seemed to be raping him with their eyes, so it was relief to see someone who was just curious. "I see." The red haired man summoned an orb of fire into his palm as he said, tossing the wooden pencil into the flames. "The name's Axel, the Flurry of Dancing Flames. Got it memorized?"

Demyx's jaw dropped and he almost dropped his Sitar again "You're…you're Axel?!" He went into fanboy mode, smiling as he said hyperly, Axel blinking at him in shock as the flame in his palm sputtered out, "Oh my gosh oh my gosh! I've heard so much about you, Mr. Axel! You're, like, the best in the Orgy, right? Oh wow! You're a legend here! I can't believe that a legend - no, wait – THE legendary Dancing Flames is standing right in front of me! I can't wait to tell everyone that you talked to me and blah blah blah blah blah blah…"

Axel couldn't believe that someone who had been so quiet a moment ago was now chattering nonstop for…he checked an invisible watch then remembered he didn't own one and guesstimated about five minutes. Finally, the blonde paused to take a breath and Axel took this second of silence to speak. "Wow. A fan? For me?" The blonde blushed with embarrassment. "I'm touched." Axel said, pretending to sniffle and cry into a palm before laughing, his laughter ringing throughout the hall. Demyx just smiled, hoping he hadn't made a total fool of himself. "Okay, kid," Axel said, his laughter fading to quiet chuckles. "Tell me something, kid."

Demyx smiled again, nodding happily. "Oh, sure! Anything!"

"Good." Axel poked Demyx in the chest, over where his heart would be. "Do you really think you have a heart?" The blonde blinked.

For a moment, he was quiet. He didn't really want this man, this tall and beautiful man, to think that he was insane like the others did, but if he was lucky, then maybe Axel was like Luxard and Zexion and would take it in stride. He wasn't a quiet man, and he wasn't about to deny the practical superstar in front of him to think he had split personalities. So, taking a small breath, he nodded. "Yup."

The redhead seemed taken aback for a moment, surprised that the other man had given the answer with a smile and only a moment of hesitation. Slowly recovering from the slight shock, Axel risked asking, "Are…are you serious?" Demyx gave him a dirty look. He hated getting that reply. The taller male got the answer from the look he was being shot and nodded slowly. "Wow…You're just as crazy as they said you were." He watched a crestfallen look cross the blonde's face and laughed heartily, wrapping an arm around his shoulders and starting to walk, ignoring Demyx's squeaks of protests when his notes were stepped on. "But crazy's good. It means you're different."

Demyx blinked. "Really?" He wiggled away from the man and began gathering his papers, grinning happily. Axel nodded, digging into his pocket and withdrawing a pair of suckers. He removed the wrapper from one and popped it into his mouth, offering the second to Demyx, who accepted it gladly. He wrinkled his nose when he unwrapped it and looked at the redhead, who grinned. "Um…is this…hot pepper flavored?" Axel's grin widened and he withdrew his own.

"With a nice chewy pepper center. If you're a chicken and can't handle the heat, then give it back." The redhead said teasingly, leaning close. Demyx could smell the hot sauce on the man's breath, and was tempted to just give the lollipop back. The thought of being a coward in the man's eyes was the only thing that made him stupidly shove the sucker into his own mouth without a second thought.

Axel stared at him with a grin on his face, and he was soon overwhelmed with laughter when Demyx yanked it out and began coughing and sputtering, tears in his eyes. He sat on the floor, tongue sticking out as he fanned it, giving Axel a pouty, puppy face. Slowly, Axel calmed down, squatting down in front of him and grinning. "Man, your face was priceless!" He laughed lightly, giving his own sucker a long lick. He snickered at the dirty look he got and said gently, patting Demyx's head, "Don't be a baby. Your tongue'll feel better in a bit."

"Othay…" Demyx said around his burning tongue, sniffling.

Axel just grinned and said playfully, "Looks like a wonderful friendship, hm, Demy?" Demyx's sapphire eyes lit up with joy when his name was shortened slightly. A shortened name meant a nickname, and a nickname meant friendship. He grinned broadly and nodded. _He's a weirdo, but it'll at least be fun to see just what this kid is capable of…He really believes he has a heart…heh. Might be fun to stick around and see how far his belief goes. _Axel thought, curious to see just how long it took before the younger man to realize how false his hope was. He resumed laughing when Demyx shoved the hot sauce lollipop back into his mouth, tensing and waving a hand as tears came to his eyes. Appearently, he was determined to eat the sucker of death, and Axel was laughing his ass off, laughing so hard he was crying by the time Demyx was done fighting with his own hand to keep from pulling the hard candy out.

It took Demyx a couple hours, but he was able to finally finish it, though his tongue was numb and he was sniffling so much any who saw him would think he was sick. When he had finally recovered some feeling in his tongue, he gave Axel a small grin, hoping it didn't look as weak as it felt. Axel patted his head and said playfully, "Good boy. Alright, stop it. Your nose is leaking, and you know Vexen's gonna go into a PMS rampage if he sees snot on the floor."

"Othay…sowry." Demyx smiled meekly, sniffling again. The redhead sighed, giving the blonde an weary look.

_-Lollipop-_

_**The Chordettes**_


	2. Track 002 Dirty Little Secret

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Kingdom Hearts

**DISCLAIMER: **I don't own Kingdom Hearts!!

**Chapter Summary:** Feeling better about himself now that Axel has decided to be friends with him, Demyx no longer feels alienated from the rest of the Organization. After a week of hanging out with Axel, the blonde has learned to expect the unexpected. What he wasn't expecting was to wake up from a dream involving Axel and himself. Of course, this isn't helped by an unexpected kiss…

**Pairing:** Slight AkuDemy

**Rated:** T+ for language and shounen-ai.

**A/N – **Yay! Chapter one was a big success in my eyes (a couple people favorited it! That means I must continue it) and here's chapter two for the few readers I have! XD

Uh…nothing else to say. Hmm…my author's notes are getting shorter. Oo;

_**Track 002**_

_-Dirty Little Secret-_

_"Ah…" Demyx blushed when he felt hot lips against his neck, equally hot hands rubbing against his back and sliding under his shirt. Crimson locks brushed his face, and a scalding tongue ran up the side of his throat to his ear, teeth catching his earlobe between persuasive lips. He groaned, practically melting against the fiery man that held him close in an iron grip. "A-axel…" _

_Axel smirked, shifting his attention from Demyx's ear to his jaw, leaving a trail of kisses as he made his way to the blonde's lips. Demyx groaned as his legs were pried apart, the taller, stronger man pressing against him and pressing him against the bed, his tongue sliding into the blonde's mouth as the passionate kiss was deepened, Demyx wrapping his arms around the redhead's neck. The kiss was broken as Demyx moaned, face flushed and blue eyes clouded with bliss, "A-Axel…please…"_

--

Demyx stared, mortified at the wall of his room, his face as red as Axel's hair and his eyes wide in horror. The bright blue, fish-print wallpaper didn't register in his brain as he bolted from the bed and ducked into the bathroom, slamming the door behind him. For a long while, he was plastered to the bathroom door, just breathing heavily and trying his best to grasp what had just happened. _Oh. My. God._ He grabbed the sides of his head and moaned in dismay, "I just had a wet dream about my best friend."

Suddenly, an idea hit him. _Zexion! He'll know what it means!_ Hurriedly, he dressed and ran from the room, glad for his heavy Organization coat for once. He ran to the library, completely forgetting he could have just opened a gateway in his confusion and dismay.

Bursting into the room via the rarely used doors, he looked around for Zexion. He spotted the smaller man near a stack of books (romance novels to be precise), the man staring at the blonde in shock for a moment as he tried to figure out why the group idiot was in the library and whether or not he should hide his novels before Demyx learned to read. "Zexy!" Demyx yelped, his voice cracking. He ran over, asking hurriedly, "I need a book on dreams! Right away!"

"…" The man said nothing, simply pointed toward the back and Demyx gave him a grateful look before taking off. Zexion watched curiously as the younger male ran off in the direction indicated. "Not even a hello…"

The blonde paused, backing up a few steps and yelling back with a grin, "Hello! Bye!" And with that, he was gone once more. Zexion rolled his eyes, shaking his head and returning to his book and pondering different ways to kill the loud boy should he distract him too much with unneeded noise.

Demyx searched for several minutes for a useful book on dreams, and he was relieved when he read the section of sexual dreams. "Okay, um, 'Sexual dreams indicate a need to get close to a person and the desire to gain the strong qualities of the individual.'" He sighed in relief and slumped against the bookshelf, wiping sweat from his brow. "Oh, thank god. Okay, so it's reasonable to have dreams about a guy that happens to be ten-times cool then I'll ever be. Okay, cool."

"Oh? So this guy you had a dream about…would it happen to be moi?" Demyx smiled and looked up, grinning.

"Oh, hey Axel. Yeah, I tota – wah!" He jumped away from Axel, blush making his face turn crimson and the dream hit him with full strength. The redhead blinked at him, leaning against the bookshelf across from Demyx, watching with mild amusement as the blonde looked for an escape route. "Uh, uh, A-axel! Um, how long…erm…" The younger man stuttered and stumbled over his own words as he continued to back up, dropping the book and praying to god that Axel didn't hear him reading the description aloud.

Axel pushed away from the shelf, walking closer to the blonde. Demyx squeaked when his back hit the shelf, the fiery redhead closing the distance between them and leaving only an inch to spare. The taller man leaned down, bringing his face close to Demyx's and asked, staring into the blonde's eyes, "Long enough. So you had a dream about me, hm? Pray tell." He watched the other's expression, his peridot eyes flickering to Demyx's throat when he swallowed hard, then to his lips when he bit his lip nervously.

Finally, Demyx spoke, his voice trembling slightly. "I…it was…nothing really! Just a silly…" Axel brought his face closer, the tip of his nose touching the water element's. His breath, tainted with the slight smell of spices, was hot against his face and he felt his head swim as he tried to form a coherent thought, his confusion now obvious as he murmured vaguely, trying his best to retain eye contact with Axel, "Uh…silly….a silly dream…nothing really important…just…!"

He was cut short when Axel suddenly moved forward and pressed his lips against the blonde's, his lips hotter then Demyx had dreamt, and definitely more wonderful. He stared at Axel in shock as his mouth was pried open, the man shoving his tongue deep into the smaller man's mouth, tasting every centimeter of his mouth. Demyx felt his legs give out, Axel catching him and holding him up as he deepened the kiss.

Timidly, Demyx reached up, wrapping his arms around Axel's neck and returning the kiss. This encouraged Axel, who pressed forward eagerly, pressing the blonde against the bookshelf as the kiss turned fierce.

After what felt like an eternity, the kiss was broken and Axel moved down to kiss Demyx's neck, sucking harshly on the tender skin as the blonde made a small sound of pleasure. The redhead grinned to himself, nipping at the soft flesh as he purred, his voice like silk, "You're sensitive, aren't you…? Just kissing your neck is making you purr…" Demyx blushed and mumbled an apology, his eyes wide. The taller man chuckled, licking the hickey he had left and stood straight, lifting Demyx's chin as he said sensually, pressing against the blonde and resting his free hand on the water element's hip, "Let's keep this between us, okay? If you do, I'll kiss you whenever you want."

Demyx nodded quickly, the older man chuckling and kissing him once more. Demyx sighed softly in the kiss, closing his eyes and kissing him back shyly. He blushed again when he felt Axel's tongue part his lips and shuddered when the redhead's gloved fingertips, hot yet gentle, brushed the back of his neck. _This feeling in my chest…I feel complete, like I've found something I've been missing for a while…what is it? Why do I feel whole now? I was whole before, right?_ He thought, relaxing as Axel's lips massaged his own.

Slowly, the kiss was broken and Axel licked his lips, watching the blonde's face for a moment before saying, "Well!" He grinned at Demyx. "Looks like I stole your mouth virginity, eh?" Demyx blushed furiously and slapped his friend's arm as he squeaked in protest to Axel's phrasing. The redhead laughed and shook his head, running a hand through his hair. "Ah well. What's a kiss or two among friends?"

A sharp stab of pain hit Demyx, but the blonde hid it well as he said, pretending the words didn't hurt as the two made their way out of the room, "I guess so. But did you have to do it like that?" Axel blinked at him innocently, the smaller male rolling his sapphire eyes. "C'mon, Axel! You practically raped me with your tongue!"

Zexion buried his face in his book, trying very hard to ignore the two as they passed him. The last thing he needed was a mental image of Axel raping Demyx. With his tongue. Oh, how he hated the younger generation.

Once they were out of the library, Axel turned to Demyx, his expression serious. "But seriously. Keep it a secret, okay?" The blonde blinked and gave him a, 'who am I gonna tell' look. The redhead grinned and ruffled his hair, turning to leave. "Good boy. Alright. See ya later, Demy. We still on for that soup opera with Luxord?" Demyx grimaced.

"It's called a _soap_ opera, and yes." He replied curtly, irritated that Axel still couldn't grasp the concept of soap operas. They told stories of the heart for Pete's sake! He was surprised that the other Nobodies didn't watch them, but the thought of Xemnas watching one was just a touch scary, so he tried hard not to dwell on that thought for too long. He heard Axel chuckle, and then the man was gone, leaving Demyx to his confusion and pain.

_A kiss among friends…? I know he thinks we're heartless…but it really hurt._ He thought sadly, touching the area over where his heart should be, grimacing in pain as tears came to his eyes. He sniffled, rubbing at his eyes as he mumbled aloud, "Stupid…stupid, me!" He opened a portal and ran through, seeking the shelter of his room so he could be alone to cry and be human.

-_Dirty Little Secret-_

_**The All-American Rejects**_

**A/N –** Poor Demy-chan. Still so confused and lost. And stupid Axel with his whole belief that he's heartless. Meh. Oh well. I love them both, and you can look forward to more humor, smooching, angst and, eventually, a jealous Demyx!

Stay tuned for the next chapter and please read and review! Until next time!


	3. Track 003 You Are My Love

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Kingdom Hearts

**DISCLAIMER: **I don't own Kingdom Hearts!!

**Chapter Summary:** Confused and hurt, Demyx is a jumbled mess of emotions during one of his visits with Luxord and Axel for their "soup" opera. While Axel's on a chip-and-dip run, Luxord asks what's wrong and Demyx blurts out his problem after several moments of avoiding the question and Luxord comforts him.

**Pairing:** Slight LuxoDemy if you squint and stand on one foot with your arms over your head while balancing a deck of cards on your nose / AkuDemy

**Rated:** T+ for language and shounen-ai.

**A/N – **Yays! Chapter three is here and ready to ROCK! Well, maybe not so much, but a fan girl can dream, right? I hope you guys liked the last chapter, and I really hope I didn't under rate it. OO I don't wanna be in trouble for that! Maybe I should bump it to M just to be safe, but then that might scare some of my readers away…I'm confused! –cries-

Anyway, enjoy!

_**Track 003**_

_-You Are My Love-_

_"Oh Clarice!"_

_"Oh, Charles!"_

"Oh, gag me."

Two blondes gave the lone redhead a dirty look, the redhead simply rolling his eyes and shoving his crimson sucker back into his mouth, crossing his bare arms over his chest. "Fine, fine. Shutting up."

Demyx sniffled as he turned his attention back to the soap opera, the room lit only by the glow of the twelve-inch TV screen. He hugged his knees close, watching with rapt fascination as a man (whose acting skills hadn't improved even after twelve seasons) proclaimed his love to a woman who overacted everything. Luxord and Demyx loved the series, _The Young and Young-ish_, and the only reason Axel was even there was because Demyx had begged and pleaded with him until the Dancing Flames couldn't say no. It was just too pitiful.

Of course, the young blonde had made a deal with him that after their soaps, they would sit and watch one of Axel's horror movies. Sadly, the show was almost over and when the credits started, the redhead was on his feet and half out the door as he said with a grin on his face, "Chip and drink run! Anyone want anything?"

Luxord nodded as he stretched, his button-up shirt wrinkled and unevenly buttoned, as Axel had ordered the man close the shirt when he and Demyx arrived to the Gambler's room (he claimed he didn't want to see "old man" chest, but he was covering Demyx's eyes the whole time). "Yes, a coke."

Demyx, sniffling and wiping tears away, raised his hand. "Uh…-sniff- some ice water please…" He shifted nervously under Axel's gaze, blushing and staring at a stray thread on his blue t-shirt, than to a paint smear on his jeans. After a moment of watching the smaller blonde, Axel nodded and left with a faint, 'be back in a few', the door muffling his voice and footfalls.

For a long while, Luxord studied Demyx, puzzled by the look Axel had been giving the younger male. Unable to take it any longer, he risked asking, shifting to look at the less mature blonde, "Demyx," The water element jumped and looked up at Luxord with a surprised look on his young face. "What's going on?"

"Oh, erm, n-nothing…" He mumbled evasively, turning his attention back to the thread, which he was now picking at. Luxord made a vague sound of disbelief.

Finally, the older man sighed, running a hand across his hair as he leaned back against the couch. "You've been acting funny these past couple weeks. You used to sit next to Axel, but now you make it a point not to." He watched the look of guilt cross the other's face and realized that he wasn't supposed to have noticed. "Spill. You're just a child, but I've seen four year olds who lie better than you do." He grimaced when Demyx shook his head, seeming to shrink away the more Luxord talked and prodded.

"No, seriously, Luxord, it's no big deal…" Demyx gave the man a small grin, though he could tell it hadn't worked, the Gambler as observant as ever. His grin falling, he realized that no matter what he said or did, the other man would see through his lie like a bad poker face. He sighed and hung his head in defeat. "Okay…but don't tell anyone, okay?" Luxord seemed surprised at the urgency in Demyx's voice and nodded quickly, now eager to know what was so secret that the normally ditzy blonde was suddenly on edge. Demyx averted his gaze and wrung his hands as he mumbled, blushing, "Well, um, Axel…sort of kissed me…and, uh," He could feel Luxord's shock. "He told me it was nothing, but, lately I've been feeling a little…sad…and really hurt…"

Slowly, the man nodded in understanding, though he was still trying to wrap his brain around the fact that Axel had kissed Demyx. Then, of course, came the jealousy and he couldn't keep his yelp of, "He stole your first kiss?!" contained. Demyx's face reddened further. Jaw slack, Luxord could only stare at the innocent boy in front of him in disbelief. After a few minutes of floundering for the right words, he choked out, "He…how long ago?!"

"A couple weeks…" Again, the Gambler gawked, and Demyx shifted nervously.

Slowly, Luxord got his mind jumpstarted and he calmed down. He smiled a bit and ruffled Demyx's hair gently, looping an arm around the smaller boy and tugging him close for a hug. "Such a prat, that one is." He said playfully, giving the boy a gentle smile, earning him the glorious smile he loved so much. "Don't think too much about it, Demyx."

The smaller blonde sniffled. "But…but what the heck are we?! Are we just friends, or are we together or…or…" The Nobody was horribly confused and looked like he was about ready to start crying if he wasn't given an answer he could understand. That, of course, was what Luxord loved about the water user, but he was irritated at Axel for confusing the boy (mostly about taking Demyx's first kiss). The Gambler just chuckled and patted his head.

"He's a confusing one, lad." He said calmly, hugging Demyx close. "Don't feel bad: none of us know what he's thinking."

Demyx smiled weakly, but Luxord's words weren't comforting. It just made him feel worse. He opened his mouth to say something, but he was pulled away from Luxord suddenly, a bottle of ice water falling into his lap as Axel wedged himself between the surprised blondes. Axel didn't look at either of them as he said, tossing a DVD onto Luxord's lap and balled his fists in the hem of his crimson tank top as if restraining himself, "Here's my choice for the evening." Slowly, the man nodded and stood to put the DVD in. Demyx shifted nervously, staring at the bottle of water as if hoping it would tell him what to do.

They watched the movie in silence, though about half-way through it, Demyx had completely forgotten his nervousness and was huddled against Axel with his hands over his eyes and his knees to his chest. He could feel Axel chuckling as the redhead draped an arm around him and held him, the man teasing him endlessly as the movie progressed.

By the time the movie had ended, Demyx was certain he would need the keep the light on and that sleep would be but a distant memory for the next couple days. He and Axel bid Luxord goodnight at midnight, then headed down the hall, Axel having decided to walk Demyx back to his room.

The redhead was smirking as he said playfully, shoving his hands into the pockets of his hip-hugging jeans, "Heh. So, you're scared of the Boogeyman?" Demyx gave him a displeased look, followed by a pout.

"No…just startled…" the blonde defended weakly, sulking.

The smirk fell from Axel's lips as he glanced down at the blonde and said coldly, all humor gone as he slowed to a stop while Demyx kept walking, "So, you told Luxord." Demyx froze in mid-step, eyes wide as he felt his chest tighten and throat close, keeping him from uttering even a sound as he slowly turned to face Axel. The older man watched him for a moment, noting the way Demyx's face drained of all its color, as if he were afraid to get hurt.

Slowly, Axel walked forward, Demyx matching his pace in reverse until he finally came to a stop against the hallway wall, his blue eyes wide with worry and face pale. The redhead slammed his hands against the wall on either side of Demyx's head as he leaned close, making note of the fear in the water user's eyes. His tone was calm, yet held a note of anger, the steadiness of his voice frightening Demyx more then if the man had been yelling. "Didn't I tell you not to?" The blonde nodded quickly, pressing himself against the wall and ready to summon a portal should he get too scared. "Then why did you? Tell me that."

"B-because…" The blonde swallowed hard, unable to break eye contact with the green eyes that burned with withheld anger. "I…wanted to know what…we are exactly…" The anger vanished, replaced by confusion.

"'What we are?'" Axel echoed, seeming taken aback. For a moment, he was silent, staring at the blonde as he searched for something unknown. Slowly, the Dancing Flames spoke once more; his eyes softening and voice soothing, not a hint of anger or distain tainting his gaze or tone. "Demy," He moved a hand, brushing a lock of hair from the smaller man's sapphire eyes as he leaned forward, kissing the corner of his left eye gently. "Why didn't you just ask?" The water user's eyes lit up, his cheeks turning red from blush as Axel nuzzled his cheek, a smile on the fiery man's lips.

"Because…I figured you wouldn't tell me." Axel laughed at Demyx's honesty, resting his forehead against the blonde's shoulder.

"Heh…" The redhead lifted his head, holding Demyx's face between his hands as he said softly, leaning forward so his lips barely brushed the blonde's, "We're a couple. A pair of nobodies…both hoping we've found our somebodies…" He kissed Demyx's lips softly, smiling in the kiss when he felt the smaller male sink against him to return the kiss.

For several minutes, they held the kiss, neither deepening or releasing it. Axel watched Demyx's expression, his eyes searching for any sign that he needed to pull away. Slowly, as if not wanting to, he pulled away, the water user's taste still lingering on his lips as he breathed, stroking the smaller male's cheek with the back of his hand gently, "It's late…" Demyx nodded numbly, sapphire eyes half-lidded and expression one of bliss. "Let's get you to bed, otherwise the boss is gonna have a field day wringing your ass out for sleeping during another meeting."

That snapped the blonde out of his daze and he gave Axel a pouty look, but didn't complain when his hand was grabbed and he was led toward his room. Once he had fallen behind a step of Axel, he let a smile cross his face. _He likes me! Wow! Such a great guy really likes me? _It took a lot of willpower to keep from giggling the whole way to his room, instead grinning like a fool.

They reached his room and the blonde opened the door, looking back at Axel, who still held his hand. "Um, so…we're a couple?" The redhead chuckled, nodding and giving Demyx's hand a tug, smiling when the blonde came toward him like a helpless puppy in love. He grabbed the water user's free hand, using both hands to pull his body against his own, leaning down and kissing his lips gently. "Fo' real? We are?"

"Yeah. Now, you better not keep asking me that, or I'm gonna kill ya." Demyx laughed, blushing at their closeness. Axel shook his head, smiling still as he released Demyx and gently nudged him into the room. "Go to bed, Demy. I'll see you in the morning, 'kay?"

"Yup!" Demyx chirped happily, turning and bouncing into his room happily. He heard Axel laugh as the redhead closed the door behind the blonde. Demyx sat on his water bed, smiling dreamily at the door as he listened to Axel's fading footsteps. He sighed happily, flopping back onto the bed and staring up at his ceiling, which was littered with glow-in-the-dark stars and fish, raising his hands and clapping to turn off the lights. The glow from the stars and fish on the ceiling and walls bathed him a green-blue glow, the blonde smiling with a yawn, the horror movie not even gracing the surface of his memory as he drifted to a comfortable sleep.

_-You Are My Love-_

_**Kajiura Yuki, Tsubasa Chronicles**_

**A/N –** Awww, aren't they cute? I know some people are probably confused about the time jumps, so just to make it clear, there's about two weeks between each chapter unless stated otherwise, so in chapter four, Axel and Demyx will have been going out for about two weeks officially. It just makes things go by faster, and then I can get to the plot.

I bet all of you guys are looking forward to when Roxas enters, hm? Don't worry all you Roxas fans, I'm not going to make him a prissy bastard who uses everyone like a little sociopath. Yes, he will be emo-ish, but that's just because it's his theme song. As for that reference, check out www (dot) deviantart (dot) com and look up "Why is Roxas so Emo?" by EmixoO. It's TRUE! His theme is just depressing.

Honestly, I feel sorry for the poor guy.

Anyway, he should be making his appearance within the next couple chapters, so keep your eyes peeled for the Demyx angst.

Until next time!


	4. Track 004 Introduction to a Broken Heart

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Kingdom Hearts

**DISCLAIMER: **I don't own Kingdom Hearts!!

**Chapter Summary:** Giddy and happier than usual, Demyx is practically driving everyone up the wall with his constant singing and literal skipping. So, it's no surprise that when news of a new Nobody reaches him, he's ready to go and greet the newbie, but what's he supposed to do when he finds out that the new kid, Roxas, is getting some strange looks from Axel…?

**Pairing:** AkuDemy / hints of AkuRox

**Rated:** T+ for language and shounen-ai.

**A/N – **Mwahahahaha! Chapter four is heeeeeeeeeere! –grin- And Roxas is about to be introduced! –gasp- How will Demyx and Axel's relationship handle this new addition?! You'll see, and I hope it won't disappoint.

Sorry, nothing else to say.

Anyway, enjoy!

_**Track 004**_

_-Introduction to a Broken Heart -_

"La-la-la-la-laaaaa!" Zexion's eye twitched when the sound of childish singing reached his ears, and he could _smell_ the happiness that practically rolled off of the normally-mildly-cheerful blonde water user. He made a growling sound and pulled his book closer to his face, hoping to drown himself in the words as he tried to ignore Demyx's singing. Sadly, it just seemed to be getting closer and his prayers for the blonde to leave him alone were useless, as he had expected. "Hi, Zexy!"

He grunted in response, hoping that the hint that Zexion wanted to be left alone would be noticed. Then again, Demyx wasn't smart enough to notice subtle hints.

Grinning like the Cheshire Cat, Demyx rested his arms on the back of the couch beside Zexion was he cooed, staring at the wall with a day-dreamy look on his face, "Oh, man, Zexy, you SO won't believe what happened!"

The Cloaked Schemer grunted again, turning a page in his book.

Demyx continued, oblivious to the fact that Zexion was trying to ignore him. "It was the greatest thing EVER! I mean, I dunno if I told you or not, but Axel is such an AWESOME guy! I mean, seriously, I really doubt anyone's much cooler then him. And he gave me a stuffed Heartless doll a few days ago because one of the horror movies we watched with Lux gave me nightmares for, like, four days straight, but now I don't have to worry about the bad dreams anymore because I have a cute little Heartless plushie and some of the best friends in the world! And I mean it, Zexy. You, Lux, Axel, Saix and Xiggy are the best ever!" Zexion paused in mid-page turn, looking at Demyx from the corner of his eye. He doubted that the blonde really grasped the concept that words such as "friendship" and "nightmares" were lost to the Nobodies, but he was still amused nonetheless. One: because Demyx so fully believed he had true friends. Two: Because Demyx was such a fan boy that even Xemnas had figured out the blonde was going through a phase of false love, and three: because he, Zexion, was included among the friends.

"Hm. Yes, that's very nice, Demyx." The smaller male said calmly, resuming his book. He could feel the pout that Demyx was giving him and tried in vain not to give in. Finally, with a sigh and a shake of his head, he patted Demyx's head like he would a puppy. "You're…a good friend too, Demyx." The blonde grinned happily. "Can I read now?"

"Oh, yeah, yeah." Demyx chirped, straightening and skipping out of the room, a tune on his lips. Zexion sighed, shaking his head as he watched the other male leave.

_If he keeps acting like that, Xemnas will…_He shook his head to dismiss the thought, turning back to his book uneasily.

--

Axel didn't look up when he heard Demyx enter the room, the blonde trying hard to be sneaky. Smiling to himself at the pitiful attempt, the redhead remained sitting on the couch in Vexen's lab as he watched the scientist yell and throw a fit at Marluxia, who seemed to want the other man's company rather badly.

Demyx grinned to himself when he realized that Axel hadn't heard him yet (and, thankfully, neither had Vexen or Marluxia) and neared Axel, intent on glomping him. He squeaked when Axel's hand reached out and grabbed the front of his coat and yanked him over the back of the couch and onto the stiff cushions. Demyx opened an eye, blinking up at Axel, who gave him a cocky smirk and tugged the blonde so his head was on the redhead's lap. Demyx pouted. "You always hear me."

"Because you're a clumsy ninja, Demy." The Dancing Flames said playfully in reply, toying with a lock of Demyx's hair as he watched the uninterrupted verbal fight between Vexen and the plant wielder. The blonde smiled brightly and shifted slightly to watch the argument as well, just enjoying the feel of Axel's gloved fingers running through his hair and caressing his cheek softly. "Hey, Demy," The smaller male looked up slightly. "Did you hear that Xigbar just brought a new kid in? Some runt named Roxas."

Demyx sat up quickly, blue eyes bright with joy as he said excitedly, earning him a weary smile from Axel, "Really? Let's go meet him, Axel! I mean, I bet he's really nervous being the new guy and all!" Axel smiled softly and cupped the blonde's cheek in his palm, chuckling at the blush that colored Demyx's cheeks.

"Alright, Demy," He purred, standing with grace that Demyx could only dream of having. "Let's go." Walking next to Axel after nearly falling off the couch, Demyx felt very self-conscious when he stumbled over his coat in an attempt to match Axel's graceful stride. He blushed when the redhead laughed at him, but couldn't help but admire the man's laugh and commit it to memory. It wasn't rare, but it was the one sound that Demyx loved more than music, but didn't say anything about that. It would just shock everyone.

It didn't take them long to locate the newbie, but both were a bit surprised when they saw how young the boy was. He was probably no older then sixteen or seventeen, and was a whole head shorter then Demyx, who was only average height, and his hair was a dusty blonde. The boy's crystal clear blue eyes found them and the blonde suddenly felt like he couldn't walk. It wasn't admiration or fear, but surprise. It was strange, like he could see that this Nobody was different then the others just by making eye contact…like the smaller blonde had a heart and soul stronger then everyone else.

He could tell Axel felt the same way, as the redhead was rigid next to him, the man's peridot eyes locked onto the small boy. Finally, Axel cleared his throat, stepping closer to the newcomer with Demyx at his heels, the taller blonde grabbing onto Axel's sleeve to keep from getting left behind. The redhead gave the boy a grin and extended a gloved hand as he said, "You must be Roxas. The name's Axel. A-X-E-L. Got it memorized?" He tugged Demyx forward and added, "And his name is Demyx."

The musician nodded numbly in greeting, his mind not even registering that Axel hadn't given him much an introduction. Roxas nodded slowly, looking between the two before saying softly, "I'm supposed to meet Xemnas." His tone made him seem more mature then his physical appearance made him out to be, and the two were left wondering his real age.

"Oh," Demyx snapped out of his daze, grinning brightly and reaching out to take Roxas' hand. "Sure! I can show—" He paused when Axel interrupted him, removing the Nocturne's hands from his sleeve and grabbed Roxas's arm and starting to walk.

"I got it, Demy."

Demyx blinked, watching as Axel led the small blonde away, the redhead smiling and talking the boy as if he had known him for years. "Uh…" Demyx felt his chest tighten, but only mumbled, smile faltering, "O-okay…I'll just…" He let his hand fall to his side, watching in dismay as Axel and the small blonde disappeared around a corner. He sighed, lowering his gaze to the ground and muttering, "I guess I'll just…find something to do…"

Then a thought hit him. "Oh! I know what's wrong! I told him I had something for him and I totally forgot! Maybe he wants me to get it for him!" The blonde, energy and happiness back in place, grinned and opened a portal to his room.

He dug through his stuff for a good ten minutes, trying in vein to find what he had made for his not-so-secret boyfriend. He sighed in frustration, giving the pile of junk a pout, but it was short lived when he caught a glimpse of a stack of papers he hadn't seen since the day he had first met Axel.

Carefully, he unburied the papers and looked at them, smiling at the slightly smeared music notes, than grimaced at the footprint Axel had left on one of the crinkled papers. _A song…! _He smiled once more and flopped onto his bed, digging out a notebook and picking up the sitar he had ignored for nearly two weeks now, beginning to re-write the song, strumming along to the tune every now and then to make sure it sounded right.

Within seconds of playing the first note, he was back in his own little world, with only a pencil, his sitar and the melody to keep him company.

He looked up hours later at the clock on the wall, blinking at it for a moment before figuring out that it was almost one in the morning and he wasn't even tired. He looked down at the notebook, setting his sitar aside and beginning to write the lyrics, humming the tune as he went.

It was four in the morning by the time he was done, and he was too hyped up to sleep as he gathered the papers and his sitar, standing and running from the room with every intention of locating Axel, as he knew the redhead was always awake by then. He never knew why, but he didn't really care at the moment, too excited to show the fiery man what he had spent the last ten hours working on.

"Axel!" He called, knocking on the redhead's door and trying the handle. It turned easily, and he poked his head in, blinking when he was met by an empty room. Confused, as the man never left his door unlocked unless he was in, the blonde stepped out of the room and looked around, hoping to see the head of familiar red hair and the peridot eyes that always seemed to know his every weakness.

"Looking for Axel?" Demyx jumped when he heard the familiar voice of Saix. He looked back at the blue haired man and smiled, nodding. Saix, while cold towards everyone, had always been nice to Demyx and the blonde was always glad to have someone capable of keeping Xemnas from killing him as a friend. "He's with the newcomer in the library. Apparently Roxas," he said the name carefully, as if not wanting to offend the owner of the name, which puzzled the Nocturne. "Has a fondness for books."

The blonde smiled and nodded, opening portal to the library. "Thanks a lot, Saix!" He called as he disappeared through the portal, humming as he vanished from sight.

The library was quiet, just as it usually was, but it felt strangely bare without Zexion sitting in the couch surrounded by books, as the quiet man was usually asleep until six sharp. Of course, being in the library at four proved one thing to Demyx: Zexion really did have his own room, with an actual bed.

Glad to have cleared up one mystery, the blonde began searching the stacks for Axel and Roxas, clutching his sitar close. The library at night, with the lights mostly off and silent without the turning of pages, was creepy, and Demyx found himself wishing he had brought his heartless doll with him.

He paused when he caught a glimpse of red hair, and smiled in relief, glad he could relax. He paused by the end of the shelf, peeking in to see if Axel was alone or if Roxas was still hanging around him.

Axel didn't seem to notice him, which was a big surprise to Demyx, as the redhead could probably hear him breathing across the massive library, but the even bigger surprise was that the man was currently lip-locked with Roxas in a tender kiss that made every ounce of Demyx's being practically scream, _He's never kissed me like that!_ He stared for a moment, disbelief crossing his face before realization hit him hard, a sharp stab of pain following shortly afterwards.

He tightened his grip on the notes he had been working on for hours, the words he had slaved over to make perfect for the man, and stumbled back, tears blurring his vision. A sob escaped his lips and Axel's eyes flew open, the redhead turning to see what had made the noise. A look of shock, then pain crossed the man's face when his eyes met the tear-filled ones of Demyx, the blonde staring at him with a look of betrayal on his young face. "Demyx, I—" The blonde didn't wait for him to finish, instead opening a portal and running through. "Demyx! Wait!"

In the safety and silence of his room, the blonde collapsed to the floor, sinking to sit on the floor against the bed frame. He buried his face in his hands and sobbed, pulling his knees close and shaking his head. He felt like his chest was being crushed, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't stop crying. It was the first time he had ever wanted to be truly heartless, to not be able to feel anything, but the tears continued to come.

He jumped when he heard his door get pushed open, the blonde looking back to see who had invaded his personal space without so much as even a knock. Luxord stared at the smaller blonde in shock, a small wrapped package in his hand. "Demyx?" The man asked cautiously, shocked to see the tears that fell from the normally cheerful male's eyes. Demyx forced a smile, though it didn't work.

"H-hi…Lux…" The gambler was at his side, kneeling beside Demyx and gathering him into a tight hug. He sighed when felt Demyx resume crying, the smaller man clutching the front of Luxord's coat and crying harder then he had before.

"Demyx…what…"

"A-a-axel…" The male sniffled, shaking his head and trembling slightly as he tried to breath around his sobs. Luxord gently rubbed the small of Demyx's back, whispering soothing words as the younger blonde tried to explain. "H-he…he…" Slowly, Demyx forced himself to calm down enough to ask, his voice trembling and blue eyes dark with sadness, "Luxord…c-c-can you…tell everyone that I'll be back soon…?"

The gambler blinked, looking down at the blonde in his arms. "What?!'

"I just…wanna be alone for a while…it won't be long…just a couple weeks…" Luxord grimaced. He didn't like the idea of the emotional Nobody (what irony) being anywhere alone, especially after whatever it was Axel had done. All Luxord knew was that when he saw Axel again, the redhead would probably wind up getting a card shoved into his eye.

Luxord smiled weakly and said softly, hoping to cheer Demyx up a bit, "Would it make you stay if I got Xigbar and Saix to beat the prat up?" Demyx chuckled weakly, but shook his head even though the thought was mildly tempting. He just couldn't bring himself to wish harm on the redhead, even after he caught him kissing someone else. Luxord sighed, petting Demyx's hair gently. "Alright…I'll tell everyone you'll be back soon…"

"Thanks…Lux…" The blonde pulled away, sniffling as he wiped tears from his eyes. Smiling at the gambler, he stood and began gathering his things. Luxord watched the smaller blonde pack, letting his gaze fall to the package in his hand. When the Nocturne wasn't looking, he tossed the colorfully wrapped package into the bag, watching as it was buried with clothing all shades of blue. The bag was closed and Demyx lifted it up, staring at the blank bedroom wall for a long while before taking a shaky breath and opening a portal. He looked back at Luxord, who was on his feet and standing directly behind the water user, and smiled sadly. "See ya later, Lux."

With that, he turned away and vanished into the portal, leaving the room bare and cold without the blonde's bubbly personality to bring warmth to the room. With a sigh, Luxord left, grumbling under his breath all the horrible things he was going to do to Axel.

_Introduction to a Broken Heart_

_**Simon & Milo**_

**A/N –** Poor Demy, so confused and lost now. –glares at Axel- Stupid head!

**Axel:** What?! You're the one writing the damn story!! Don't blame me!

Anyway, please read & review. And expect at least one scene to be inspired by (and probably stolen from) the movie, _What Happens in Vegas_. GOD that movie is funny! –snickers at the memory- Trust me. Luxord, Saix, Zexion and Xigbar will have their revenge to break up the angst in the upcoming chapters.

And, yes. I whole heartedly believe that if Demyx cries, everyone in the organization comes running to his aide, even if they claim to hate him. The blonde's everyone favorite little uke. It could be a good thing, and could be a bad thing too, especially if Axel can't get his act together! Careful, buddy! Demyx is so cute and rape-able that he may wind up locked up Xemnas's basement. –sweat- Or DiZ's closet. Seriously. DiZ is one creepy mo-fo.

Anywho, read and review! Ja!


	5. Track 005 Seek You Out

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Kingdom Hearts or any of the other characters mentioned or used

**DISCLAIMER: **I don't own Kingdom Hearts or any of the other characters mentioned or used!!

**Chapter Summary:** Axel, after a very rude wakeup call from Luxord, Saix, Zexion and Xigbar, finds out that Demyx has left and, determined to repair the damage he caused, takes off after him. Meanwhile, Demyx finds himself in some trouble of his own when he finds himself realizing the truth behind Organization XIII…

**Pairing:** AkuDemy

**Rated:** T+ for language and shounen-ai.

**A/N – **Alright, I know last chapter probably sucked, but I was struggling through writer's block toward the end there, because I've been planning the next few chapters and I didn't really put much thought into the last one. Hopefully this one will make up for it.

Enjoy!

_**Track 005**_

_-Seek You Out -_

Axel groaned, rolling over and bringing the blankets over his head. He was certain last night had been a horrible dream: getting plastered, kissing the new kid, seeing that hurt look on Demyx's face. It was mostly a blur after the tenth drink at the local Dusk-owned bar in the World That Never Was, and he was convinced that if he could remember it, it probably didn't happen. Sort of like the night he went to the Gold Saucer. He couldn't remember a damn thing after arriving.

He growled when he heard a loud knock at the door and yelled, wincing and burying his head under his pillow, "Go the fuck away!" He contemplated setting the person on fire when whoever it was simply knocked harder. With a snarl, he threw the blankets aside and staggered, shirtless and in his shiny red boxers, toward the door, grumbling something about killing the offending knocker. Throwing open the door, he snapped, "What the he—Ah, fuck!"

The "ah, fuck" was in response to Saix hitting him with a groan shot, the redhead hitting the ground with a few coughs and several deep breaths to keep from screaming. The blue haired man cracked his knuckles, but didn't attack him again, Luxord, Xigbar and Zexion stepping out from behind the lunatic and glowering at Axel. "What the fuck was that for?!" Axel finally gasped, staring at Saix with wide eyes.

Luxord glared. "You know what for, hothead." Xigbar flexed his fingers, just itching to shoot the redhead and get it over with. Zexion just watched calmly, though the redhead didn't doubt that he was probably contemplating hitting the downed man with the heavy book he always had with him.

Axel blinked, pain temporarily forgotten. "What the hell are you guys? The mob?" The fiery man stared at the four in front of him, and it slowly began to sink in that maybe his not-so-vivid memories were actually real. It then occurred to him that Saix, who claimed to want nothing to do with Demyx, had just nut-punched him.

Standing with some effort, Axel eyed Saix for a long while before saying, mildly irritated, "Saix. Did you _seriously_ just nut-punch me for, what, making Demyx cry? It was an accident! Including the stripping at the bar. Total accident. Got it memorized?" Zexion sighed, opening his lexicon and shaking his head as he read a passage out loud.

"'Axel, the Flurry of Dancing Flames, is ruled by his emotions. Whatever emotion he was feeling when he becomes intoxicated tends to rear itself up later on, stronger and far less controllable.'" He closed the book and everyone could only stare at him in shock and amusement. The redhead shook his head, not wanting to know _why_ the quiet and small man had a section about his habits when he was drunk. Now that most of his questions had been asked and answered, he only had only thing left to ask (other then the whole "why does Zexion have a page about me when I'm drunk in his book?").

"Okay…so we've clarified that this is about Demyx, right?" No one replied, but Axel's gaze caught a glimpse of what looked like sadness on the face of Luxord, and he knew instantly that maybe crying wasn't the only thing Demyx had done. Slowly, he asked what had happened, uncertain he wanted to know the answer.

Luxord said nothing while Xigbar and Saix kept an eye on Axel as if daring the redhead to say something out of line. Finally, Zexion was the one who broke the unnerving silence. "…Demyx left." The Dancing Flames looked at Zexion in shock, the small male nodding. "According to what I have heard, he wants to be alone until he can either forgive you or until he can recover from the pain." He shrugged, turning away and glancing back at Axel, though his hair did a good job of hiding his smile and gaze. "But, as we all know, Demyx is rather stupid when he's happy, so we can only imagine what he'll do in an unstable and overly emotional state."

He heard Axel slam the bedroom door, followed by the sound of rustling clothing. Less then a minute later, Axel was running from the room, grabbing Zexion's shoulder and snapping, "Where is he?!" Zexion let his expression fall back to passive as he turned to face Axel. "Well?!"

"…Hollow Bastion." The Cloaked Schemer said calmly. In the tenth of a second it took him to blink, Axel had opened a portal and was gone. Luxord blinked, shocked that Axel had taken the news so badly. They looked at Zexion as the small man gave them a small smile, a rare and shocking sight. "Well. One crisis avoided. Now," He turned away, striding towards the meeting room, a suddenly nervous look on his face. "To feed Xemnas a convincing lie so he doesn't kill them later." The others nodded, shuddering. Xemnas wouldn't care if Demyx was missing, only that his best (Axel) had gone missing as well. An angry Xemnas meant an unhappy Organization.

* * *

Demyx sighed, sitting in a café in one of his normal outfits, a blue shirt, dark jeans and worn sneakers, poking at the triple flavor sundae that was beginning to melt. The cherry slid off the chocolate-covered top and landed on the table, the blonde sighing and slumping over the table, his blue eyes half-lidded as he watched the ice cream melt.

He blinked when a blue rose was waved in front of his face, the blonde looking up to see who had decided to interrupt his thoughts. Kind green eyes framed by auburn hair greeted him, the woman smiling at him and saying gently, holding the rose out to him, "You look sad. A flower for your thoughts?" He sat up a bit, accepting the flower. The woman sat across from him and folding her hands on her lap. "I'm Aeris, ready to listen."

"Erm…Demyx…" She smiled again, and the blonde couldn't help but relax. He dropped his gaze to the rose and mumbled, looking like a kicked puppy left in the rain, "Well…um…you see, this person I was sort of dating…I caught them kissing someone else and like a coward I ran away…" He could feel Aeris's sympathy as she touched his shoulder, making him look up. She smiled sweetly.

"It's not cowardly." She said soothingly, earning her a small grin. "Now," She leaned back. "If I were a lesser person, I would say cheat on them and see how they feel about it, but since I'm a better person then Sephiroth," The blonde's eyes widened in shock. This woman knew _the_ Sephiroth?! She continued. "I'm going to tell you what you _should_ do." She stood and turned away, stretching her arms over her head before clasping them behind her back, smiling at him from over her shoulder. "Go back and tell them how upset you are. Talk to them and see what happens. Or, if you wanna just let this other person take them, then go ahead and sulk. Just don't leave the ice cream. Otherwise some child somewhere will cry." With a smile and a wave, she left, leaving Demyx to stare after her.

He lowered his gaze to the rose and sighed, slumping in his seat and muttering, "How exactly am I supposed to tell Axel how I feel when I don't even know how I feel?" He sighed and set the rose aside, picking up his spoon and eating his half-melted ice cream.

After he was done, he slid the sundae cup away and wandered off after paying. Hollow Bastion wasn't exactly his first choice of places to go when depressed, as it usually only made him more depressed with its dark colors dark atmosphere, but today it seemed like the perfect place to match his mood.

For hours he wandered the streets, careful to avoid people in black for fear of one of them being a member of the Organization sent to retrieve him. When night fell, he was on the shady outskirts of the city, lost, depressed and tired. He looked up at the night sky, shivering when an icy breeze hit him, chilling him to the bone. "Wow…" He momentarily forgot he was cold as he stared at the star-filled sky in awe. He had never seen the stars, let alone so many of them, and he had to admit that the worlds, shimmering and glowing in the heavens, were beautiful. "It's so massive…there's so many of them…" His gaze saddened when one of the stars flickered, then vanished altogether. "A world…was taken…?" In the few minutes he watched, ten more flickered out and he felt like crying.

Such beauty, fragile like glass, had ended so abruptly, and it was then that he realized something that made his chest heavy with sorrow and regret. _My own world was taken too, wasn't it? As was Axel's…and the others…how sad will they feel when they realize that?_ He sniffled, wiping his eyes with the back of his arms as he resumed walking, fighting tears. _More Nobodies have been made, and even more Heartless…why…why didn't I ever realize this before…?_ He froze in realization, eyes widening in horror. "We…we're just filling Kingdom Hearts…we aren't finding our hearts. We're not even close to it! We're just making Kingdom Hearts stronger so that—"

"That what, Demyx?" The water user's blood ran cold at the icy voice that came from behind him, recognizing it instantly. Fearfully, he turned, his throat going dry and hands shaking.

"You…"

* * *

Axel ran from the portal, almost forgetting to close it as he looked around the empty city square of Hollow Bastion. The only other person in the street was a hobo, who looked between Axel and his bottle of booze, blinking rapidly as if trying to grasp what it was he had just seen. "I'm just a hallucination. Got it memorized, old man?" The man nodded quickly. "So, answer my questions, or this hallucination's going to kick your ass." The hobo scooted away from him, hoping his cardboard box would shelter him. "Have you seen a blonde with sort of a spiky mullet, about this tall," Axel held a hand out to indicate Demyx's height compared to him, a whole two feet shorter. "Has a Sitar with him, or at least some sort of bag."

The hobo pondered for a moment before nodding, pointing toward the east side. Axel gave him a, "you live another day" look before running off, tossing a pouch of munny onto the guy's lap as he called back, "Spend it on a bath, man! You stink!" He highly doubted the man would heed his advice, but at least he got his two-cents in.

During the day, a man dressed entirely in black probably would have caught at least a few stares, but he was thankful that he had arrived under the cover of night so that he didn't have to deal with odd looks or foot traffic, but that also meant that he had less to work with on the information scale, but that was fine. It was strange though. Each second that passed brought with it a new horrible image of something happening to Demyx, and this confused Axel.

_Why the hell am I trying so hard to find him? I mean, we're Nobodies…right? _He didn't slow his pace as the thought struck him, but there was no denying the strange feeling in his chest when he thought of Demyx being alone in the grungy city, though he had to admit that it wasn't anywhere near as bad as Midgar had been. He shuddered at the thought of Demyx wandering into the slum city of Midgar. _The kid would be sold at the Honey Bee Inn faster then a tub of popcorn at a movie theater…thank god that damn world was trashed._

He skidded to stop when a pillar of water shot into the air, the words, "Dance, Water! Dance!" echoing throughout the alleys. The redhead resumed running, hurrying toward the source of the water attack. Whoever had attacked Demyx – he refused to believe that Demyx could have it in him to attack anyone – must have broken through the musician's attack, as the pillar shattered into millions of drops, which fell to the earth like rain.

Chest heaving, he finally reached the battleground after what felt like an eternity, but he didn't get much time to relax. Demyx lay nearby, his Sitar nowhere to be seen, and his clothing was soaking wet with water. When the redhead got closer, he felt his chest tighten and before he could stop himself, he was at Demyx's side, cradling the smaller male close as he stared at the bruises on the water user's exposed arms and neck. "Demyx…!" He shook him slightly panic rising in his voice. "Demyx! C'mon, you fucking idiot! Wake up, or I swear to God, I'm going to kick your ass!"

Demyx groaned, but didn't wake, but the sound was all he needed. Knowing now that the blonde was at least alive, he hung his head, sighing in relief and putting his forehead against Demyx's as he muttered, grimacing, "Damn it…who the hell did this…?" Carefully, he lifted the unconscious Nobody and stood, summoning a portal and stepping through just as people began coming out of their houses to see what had happened.

* * *

_"My Lord…"_

_"Yes?"_

_"Is it safe to let him live? He's beginning to awaken to the truth, and those in contact with him will eventually see it as well…"_

_"…Than let them Awaken. He is not a concern at the moment, but keep an eye on him. If he starts showing signs of finding it…"_

_"I'll dispose of him myself, my lord."_

_Seek You Out_

_**Poets of the Fall**_

**A/N –** OoooOoooOOOoo…A PLOT has been introduced. Who was it that attacked Demyx? What is this "Awakening" and what does it have to do with Demyx? What about everyone else? Will we ever see the rest of the Organization? All these questions and more will be answered as the story progresses, so just stay tuned for more AkuDemy cuteness!


	6. Track 006 Discord

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Kingdom Hearts

**DISCLAIMER: **I don't own Kingdom Hearts!!

**Chapter Summary:** Shortly after Demyx's recovery, he's visited by Marluxia and made an offer that could cost him everything. Confused by Demyx's sudden nervousness, Axel meets Marluxia and is given an offer he can't refuse, but will he sacrifice everything he holds dear for it?

**Pairing:** AkuDemy

**Rated:** T+ for language and shounen-ai.

**A/N – **Wee! Here we go again, folks! A brand new chapter for all of you! Yes, the Chain of Memory storyline will be skipped, as I haven't played it yet because I can't ever seem to find a copy of it when I go to GameStop, and Amazon is too damn expensive, because some of us –raises a hand- are poor and can't afford it new or used on their site, and I rarely trust eBay for games, though I've had some good luck with it before.

Anyway, this chapter is pre-Chain of Memories storyline, and the next chapter is post-Chain of Memories.

No, I'm not changing a damn thing. Axel will kill everyone he's supposed to, but for a reason other then orders or jeopardizing his own plans.

Anyway, enjoy!

_**Track 006**_

_-DISCORD -_

Axel sighed, surrendering to Demyx's sudden stubborn streak. For the past week, Axel had been trying to get information from the blonde about who had attacked him, but Demyx was getting better at avoiding the question and for today, the redhead was almost done pestering him. He rubbed his palm against Demyx's cheek, resting his forehead against Demyx's as he sighed, "What do I have to do to get you to tell me? I've apologized about Roxas. I've taken care of you…please, Demy…I'm not the best person to trust right now, I get that. But I'll figure it out soon enough." He locked eyes with the blonde, who quickly dropped his gaze to his hands, fiddling with the hem of his shirt.

"Axel…" The blonde finally said after several minutes of silence, tears welling in his eyes. "I-I really want to…b-but I can't! If I did then…then…" He buried his face in his hands, shoulders shaking and sobs muffled by his palms. Axel stared at the blonde for a long while, shocked that he had finally gotten somewhere. Carefully, as if he were afraid Demyx would break, the redhead gathered him into a tight hug, but remained silent. He wasn't any good at comforting people, especially people as sensitive as Demyx.

Axel plus sensitive just didn't work.

A knock interrupted Demyx's sobs momentarily, followed by, "Demyx?" The redhead growled, knowing the owner of the voice as the one constantly trying to get into his pants. It belonged to his least favorite person in the Organization, topping even Saix at the moment, and the owner of the voice hadn't even nut-punched him. "Demyx, is it okay if I come in?" Axel released Demyx and took the coward's way out: by hiding under the bed.

"Demyx, if he asks, I am NOT here." The fiery man hissed at the look of confusion he was getting as he wiggled under Demyx's bed. He grimaced at the number of stuffed animals there, but he couldn't blame the kid. He was practically the Organization punching bag and he couldn't help but notice one of the large rabbit dolls had the distinct imprint of a fist in its stomach. He would have to ask the blonde about that one later. He dragged his foot under the bed just as the door opened and he could tell just from the way the man walked that it was his most hated rival, though he knew that already.

"Mar…luxia?" Demyx asked in surprise. Marluxia smiled charmingly at the blonde and tossed a lock of hair over his shoulder. "What…brings you here?"

"Hm?" The pink haired man shrugged, leaning against the wall beside the door and studying Demyx's tear-stained cheeks and the fading bruise around his neck. "I see you got into a fight." The blonde cringed at the mocking tone in Marluxia's voice, instinctively reaching up and rubbing the bruise on his neck nervously. "Tell me…" The taller man pushed away from the wall, striding over to stand over Demyx. He leaned down, his face close to the blonde's ear as he whispered, "How would you like to get revenge for those injuries?"

Demyx looked up sharply, eyes wide. "R-revenge?"

"Yes. Demyx," Marluxia pulled back, toying with a lock of hair as if bored. "I know who did this. They're going to try again. You and I both know it. I'm offering you the chance to stop it before it happens again." The blonde rose, shaking his head and glaring fearfully at the other man.

"How…how do you know so much?!" Demyx snapped, panic in his voice even as he glared at Marluxia. The other man smiled slyly; releasing the lock of hair he had been toying with and grabbing Demyx by the front of his shirt, bringing his face close to Demyx's ear.

"I know everything, Demyx. Everything." His voice turned hard. "I know your darkest desires, your dreams, your fears, even your biggest weakness." Demyx swallowed hard, trying to back away to no avail. "If you're smart, you'll join me, or you'll keep your nose out of it." He shoved the blonde away, Demyx squeaking as he landed on the bed with a quiet curse of pain from Axel when the springs hit his head. Marluxia smiled at the blonde and said calmly, "Oh. One more thing: if you see Axel, tell him I need to speak to him." Without waiting for a reply, Marluxia left, slamming the door behind him.

Axel, after waiting a few moments, crawled out of his hiding place and stood, frowning at the door. He turned back to Demyx and sat next to him. He yelped in surprise when Demyx latched onto him, the blonde resting his cheek against Axel's chest and watching the door nervously. "Demy?"

"He knows, Axel. He knows _everything_. Even who attacked me. What am I gonna do, Axel?" The blonde asked sadly, looking up at the redhead with tears in his eyes. "I dunno what Marluxia's planning, but I don't wanna be apart of it!" Axel stared at Demyx in shock. The blonde was truly scared, a strange and unnerving sight. With a grin, Axel tugged Demyx closer.

"Don't worry about it. If things start getting bad, I'll have Luxord take you out of the castle and to, I dunno, maybe Aquatica. You'd like that place. Lots of water. And fish. Did I mention water?" Axel grimaced. Oh, he _hated_ that world. Hence the reason he was putting Luxord in the spotlight. Demyx chuckled lightly, able to feel the distain that practically rolled off of Axel at the thought of visiting a place filled with his opposite element. Carefully, Axel peeled Demyx off of him and stood, sighing and running a hand through his crimson spikes, dreading the thought of meeting Marluxia. "I better see what Marluxia wants. I'll bring back some cookies, okay?"

Demyx's eyes lit up and he gave Axel a big grin. "What kind of cookies?"

Axel pondered for a moment. "Hmm…How's chocolate chip?"

The blonde nodded happily, practically bouncing off the walls at the thought of chocolate and cookies, his two favorite things. Axel chuckled, patting the Nocturne's head before leaving, closing the door quietly behind him. Demyx's smile fell the moment he was alone, the blonde dropping his gaze to the floor and swallowing hard. Clutching his fists, he whimpered, "I'm such an idiot…if Axel gets involved, than…!"

* * *

Marluxia smiled when Axel entered the rarely used basement, the redhead frowning when he was greeted by not only Marluxia but Larxene as well, the only female in Organization XIII leaning against the far wall with her arms crossed over her chest as she watched the fiery Nobody calmly, a confident smirk on her face. Axel was very tempted to slap the smirk from her face, but as he was too far away and was feeling far too lazy to even think about it, he just crossed his own arms and asked coldly, his tone letting the pink haired male know that Axel considered this meeting a waste of time, "What is it? If it's about sleeping with you, sorry, but as a taken man, I really can't cheat again, other wise I'll get beat down."

Marluxia glared at him. "Do you really think sex is all I think about?"

Axel thought for a moment before smirking. "Hmm…lemme think…yeah. Yeah, I do, fluffy." He didn't even acknowledge the glare he was getting from Marluxia, instead leaning against the door and checking an imagionary watch. "Time's going by, and I'm not getting any younger, Marluxia. Tell me what you want so I can tell you where to shove it, unless there's no room around the dildo."

_( _XD _Bad, Axel! Your language is gonna get this an M rating!!)_

Marluxia clenched and unclenched his fists, gritting his teeth as he contemplated different ways to kill Axel. Slowly, he calmed and said with much restraint to keep his anger out of his voice, "I was just going to offer you a chance to get revenge." The redhead rose an eyebrow and Marluxia let a look of false shock cross his face. "What? Your aquatic lover didn't _tell_ you?" Larxene chose this moment to push away from the wall, moving to stand by Marluxia as if to protect him should Axel decide to attack him. At Axel's silence, Marluxia smirked. "I know who attacked him; why they did it. They won't stop until he's dead, Axel. If you really believe that he's safe just because you're attached to his hip, you're mistaken."

Axel swallowed hard, keeping his expression uninterested, though his eyes must have given him away as the blonde woman spoke. "We'll tell you, but only if you swear to cooperate with us."

_A deal with the devil to get the bastard back who hurt Demyx…_he knew Demyx would beg him not to, and the mere thought of the blonde's sapphire eyes welling with tears almost made Axel reject the offer. He opened his mouth to tell Marluxia and Larxene where to put their offer, but the thought of Demyx unconscious and injured made his words change. "What exactly is it you want me to do?" Marluxia smiled, and Axel averted his gaze.

* * *

"You WHAT?!" Demyx practically screamed, dropping his cookie and standing. Axel leaned against the wall of Demyx's room, picking crumbs off his coat as he let Demyx stare at him in horror. "Why…why…why the hell would you do that, Axel?! Marluxia…Marluxia's a snake! Who knows what he's gonna make you do!"

The redhead had been hearing the same thing for the past ten minutes and there was only so much of being called an idiot in not so many words before it wore on his nerves. He glared at Demyx, the blonde for once not backing down at the glare. "Shut the fuck up, Demyx!" he snapped, storming over the blonde and backing him into the corner. "I did this for you, you know. So don't give me that bullshit about doing stupid things, 'cause you've done too many to count!" Demyx glared at him.

"At least I never made deals that would get me killed!"

"Oh? So now you're suddenly the genius?" Axel slammed his hands against the wall beside Demyx's head, glaring down at the smaller male as he brought his face close, his green eyes burning with anger. "You don't have to worry about me dying, Mr. I-Keep-All-My-Mission-Notes-On-Cards!" Demyx cringed slightly, but didn't relent, too angry and scared for Axel to care at the moment.

He tried shoving Axel back as he yelled back, "What about you?! You sleep on your missions! And at least I'm reliable! And loyal! I'd never be caught dead kissing anyone but my boyfriend!" Axel grabbed Demyx's wrists and pinned them above his head, tightening his grip until it almost painful. Demyx winced, struggling weakly to get away as he whimpered, anger forgotten, "A-axel! Let go! That hurts, man!"

"Idiot? Yeah. I guess I am." Demyx paused his struggles as he stared up at Axel, who's peridot eyes seemed sad, though it was only the emotion underneath his anger as he leaned down and kissed his lips roughly. The kiss lasted for but a moment before the fiery man had released the blonde and was turning to leave the room. "Guess what, Demyx? Read my lips." He turned partially in the doorway, emphasizing each syllable as he said, "We're over. Got it memorized?"

Demyx swallowed hard, wincing when Axel slammed the door behind him, the force knocking over a fish-shaped lamp by the door and one of the glow-in-the-dark fish clattered to the floor from the ceiling. The blonde slumped against the wall, sniffling as he rubbed his wrists, fresh bruises gracing his pale skin. "Axel..."

_DISCORD_

_**UVERworld**_

**A/N - **-gasp- A break up?! Poor Demy, losing the one guy he really liked over a stupid fight caused by Marluxia's silver-tongue! Damn you, Marluxia. Thankfully, I only had to write for him in this chapter, 'cause the next one is Post-Chain of Memories. No, Demyx and Axel are not going to spontaneously be back together. Life doesn't work like that, but I am going to be hitting the Kingdom Hearts 2 storyline now. –sniffles- Sorry, Demy.

**Demyx:** -sniffle- I…I…waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh!!

**Everyone in the Organization (except Axel):** That awful Axel doesn't deserve you! –All glare at Axel-

**Axel:** WTF?! He started it!

So mature, Axel. _Very_ mature. I bet you win all your arguments like that.

Ja!


	7. Track 007 Teardrops on My Guitar

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Kingdom Hearts

**DISCLAIMER: **I don't own Kingdom Hearts!!

**Chapter Summary:** Depressed and in a slump after being dumped on his ass by Axel, Demyx hasn't been able to function, and his depression wasn't helped when he found out that Zexion, Vexen, Marluxia, Larxene and Lexaeus had been killed. Luxord decides to drag the Nocturne out of his room by force and takes him to Twilight Town. Starting to come out of his slump, he's forced back to horrible reality when he sees Axel and Roxas on a date.

**Pairing:** AkuRoxas / one-sided AkuDemy

**Rated:** T+ for language and shounen-ai.

**A/N – **Poor Demy! Life doesn't get easier for him, does it? It may seem like everything's moving really fast for our Romeo and Juliet, but trust me. To me, it's taking, like, forever.

Already on chapter seven and these two have had more ups and downs then a roller coaster, and the ride's not even over yet.

Well, nothing else to say except the usual "Enjoy!"

_**Track 007**_

_-Teardrops on My Guitar -_

Demyx pulled the blankets over his head when he heard a knock on his door and said weakly, his voice cracking from crying so long, "Go away…" He sniffled, burying his head under his pillow and arms, crying into the mattress. He heard the door open and close, footsteps nearing his bed. He felt the mattress sag slightly at the additional weight of another person, then felt the pillow get pulled away and replaced by a gloved hand. He shifted slightly to see who had ignored his words and was relieved to see Luxord.

The older blonde sighed and lay down on his back next to the smaller man and breathed, pulling Demyx so the water user was half on him, "It's been a long time since any of us have seen you. We thought that maybe you had died." Demyx sniffled, hiding his face in Luxord's chest.

"I wish I was…" Luxord paused, watching as the Nobody shuddered and resumed crying harder then before. He sighed, turning his attention to the ceiling of the water user's room. After several minutes, he sat up, bringing Demyx with him, and gently pushed the Nocturne away, leaning down a bit so he could see the normally bright sapphire eyes that always seemed to glimmer with the emotions everyone in the Organization lacked. He grimaced when he was greeted by empty blue eyes that glittered only with tears.

"Demyx," The Gambler smiled sadly. "Why don't we take a trip? Just you and I." Demyx lifted his gaze slightly, as if the idea intrigued him slightly, though not enough to warrant a full look. "It may help you calm down, eh?" He stood, holding his hand out to Demyx. The smaller blonde rubbed his eyes, then nodded, taking the offered hand and smiling weakly, though it probably would have been better if he didn't. It just didn't look natural and Luxord almost swore he felt true pain. Shaking his head to dismiss the feeling, he tugged Demyx to his feet, watching the blonde sway unsteadily for a moment before tugging off his coat and tossing it onto the bed.

He smoothed some wrinkles out of his button-up shirt and summoned a gate, smiling at Demyx, who seemed uncomfortable standing next to the well-dressed man in his plain shirt, jeans and sneakers. "Shall we?" With a slightly more upbeat smile, Demyx nodded.

* * *

After so long, fresh air really did help him get his thoughts sorted and he felt like his old self again, though more empty then he had remembered. Luxord had taken him to a large, but out of the way, city called Twilight Town, though he couldn't figure out why it was called a town when it was as big as a city. Only cleaner.

After five hours of exploring the city, he was acting like his usual self, grinning and running from shop to shop like a child in a theme park. He stopped in mid-run in front of a poster and turned to Luxord, a huge grin on his face as he begged, "Oooh! A beach! Can we go? Can we can we can we?! Pleeeeeeeeeeease, Luxy!" Luxord rolled his eyes, but gave in to the smaller man's pleas easily, just glad that Demyx had forgotten his depression for at least a little while.

"Aright, aright! You win. We'll go to the beach…" Luxord said gently, following after Demyx as the younger blonde ran toward the train station with a whoop and a cheer. The train station was strangely empty and it wasn't until Luxord went to purchase the tickets that he realized why. _These things are bloody expensive!!_ He thought, giving Demyx a weak smile and handing over his whole wallet to the ticket seller. After inwardly reciting that it was for Demyx, he no longer felt all that bad about handing over the majority of his munny.

Of course, it was also a plus that he would get to see Demyx in swimming trunks.

By the time they reached the beach, it was sunset. Demyx smiled brightly and used his hand to block the sun from his eyes as he gasped in awe. The view was beautiful, the sun sinking into the horizon, appearing to sink below the glittering waves of the ocean, though he knew the scene would repeat again and again every time the day ended and night began, but it didn't stifle the beauty at all in his eyes. He kicked off his shoes and ran to the edge of the tide, letting the water wash over his bare feet as he closed his eyes and inhaled a deep breath of salty sea air.

Luxord sat on a beach towel he had gambled away from some beach bum and smiled to himself as he watched Demyx practically jump into the water with his clothes on, completely forgetting his swimming trunks, which sat next to his shoes on the beach towel. Luxord laughed to himself as he watched the younger blonde flounder about like a child, though at least this child he didn't have to worry about saving from deep water.

He paused in mid-laugh when he caught sight of a pair of people from the corner of his eye and grimaced. They were still a ways away, but he knew that if Demyx saw them, the blonde would probably try to drown himself. From what Luxord could make out without turning his head too much for fear of Demyx noticing, it looked as if Axel had taken the new kid, Roxas, out on – he managed to keep from chucking a sand missile at Axel. _How dare he take the little prat out on a date right after dumping Demyx?! That bahstard!_

Demyx waved for Luxord's attention, pouting when he realized that even though Luxord was facing him, his attention was elsewhere. Finally, when he figured out that physical signals wouldn't get the Gambler to look at him, he yelled, "Luxy! Check it out! Look! Look! Hurry and look or else they're gonna swim away!" Luxord blinked, looking over to see what the younger blonde was pointing at and gasped.

Demyx grinned and turned to watch as a group of dolphins swam by in the deeper part of the ocean, the silvery mammals jumping out of the water and falling back into the waves with the grace that only a creature of the ocean could have. He ducked under the water and swam toward the dolphins still under the water; grinning to himself he reached out and ran his hand across its side.

He came to the surface and turned to face the shore, wiping water out of his eyes as he called, sounding so excited and happy that is made Luxord completely forget about Axel and Roxas, "I touched one! Aren't they cool?! Hey, Luxy I bet I can—" His words died in his throat when his eyes met those of peridot green ones on the shore. He swallowed hard, suddenly feeling light headed when he realized that Axel was watching him with a cold look on his face that made Demyx want to just sink under the water and never come up again.

Their gaze was broken by Axel turning to look down at someone else and if Demyx had felt sick before, he almost threw up when he realized what was going on. Axel was on a date. With Roxas. The redhead had never taken Demyx out on a date, always telling him that he wasn't the "date" type, but he himself had refused to go further then kissing until they went out on a date much to Axel's irritation.

Luxord glared at Axel and Roxas, then turned his attention back to Demyx just as the blonde turned and swam further out to sea as if hoping to escape. He rose and ran to the tide's edge, cupping his hands around his mouth as he yelled, "Demyx! Don't go out that far! Demyx!" He swore to himself and glared at Axel once more. "Bloody hell, Axel!" The two jumped when Luxord spoke to them, both turning to see what he wanted. The Gambler shook his head and yelled for Demyx again, grimacing when Demyx ducked under the water.

The Nocturne covered his ears with his fists and closed his eyes, summoning a bubble around him to keep him from rising or sinking any further as he tried to drown out the image of Axel with Roxas. Had he been above water, he would have been crying, but he was comfortable now, still depressed, but comfortable in his solitude in his element. _Tune it out…just ignore it. You didn't see it…it wasn't there. He wasn't there, and neither was Roxas. They aren't there, they weren't there!_ He moved his hands to his mouth to keep from gasping.

He didn't have to worry about drowning, as the bubble kept the water away from his face almost like an underwater cavern, only clear. He opened his eyes sniffling and sinking a bit so only his eyes were above the water in the bubble. No matter what he did or hoped, he couldn't deny it. Axel had already moved on, even though he himself still clung to the small hope that maybe Axel had been joking. He closed his eyes once more and dismissed the bubble, summoning a portal within a second bubble and falling through it and landing on his back on the beach.

He sat up slowly, shivering in the night air. He didn't realize he had been under the water for so long, but the sun was nowhere to be seen, only the moon glowing overhead among the stars. He heard Luxord hurrying to his side and risked glancing to the side. Roxas and Axel stared at him, and he quickly averted his gaze, standing and shaking sand out of his hair as he hugged himself and tugged on his shoes as he mumbled to Luxord, "Lets go home…I just wanna go to bed now…"

Luxord nodded slowly as the smaller blonde summoned a portal and sloshed through, shivering even more when he stepped out into the World That Never Was. Rain fell in sheets this time, doing a rather thorough job of getting rid of the sand on his clothing. He looked up at the dark sky, blinking away rain and tears as his gaze found Kingdom Hearts. _I…don't want to be alone…_He felt his legs give out, but he never hit the ground.

Strong arms caught him and held him close, but he didn't look to see who it was, only raising his hands to his face and crying until he lost consciousness.

* * *

Roxas turned his attention from the soaking blonde Nobody who had just appeared in front of them to Axel, the redhead's eyes locked onto the shivering form of Demyx as the blonde sat up and hugged himself. "Axel…" Roxas started, pausing when he caught a glimpse of Demyx standing and half-dragging himself through the portal. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah." He gave Roxas a smile. "I'm fine. Lets get going." Roxas watched as Axel turned away, knowing full well that the redhead was only fooling himself into believing he was alright. Even if Axel didn't admit it, Roxas knew what was wrong and why he had been asked out.

Once Luxord and Demyx were gone was when Roxas chose to voice the truth. "Axel," The man paused in mid-stride. "I know what's wrong. I know why you picked me. But I don't think you know yet." Axel looked back at him, smiling.

"Huh? Roxas, you aren't making sense."

"…" Roxas sighed and shook his head. "Tell me when you figure it out. Otherwise you'll never find out." He joined Axel's side, irritated at the redhead's idiocy. It was maddening when the guy you were dating was pining over someone else while trying to deny it and find reasons to be angry at the object of their true affections. He figured Axel would someday figure it out, but sometimes it's always a little too late…

_Teardrops on My Guitar_

_**Taylor Swift**_

**A/N – **oo Man, I'm throwing these out there like it's candy. I guess my Demyx muse is in over drive at the moment. Oh well, at least I have plenty of fuel for you guys for whenever I hit writer's block. Trust me. It will happen. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but it will hit me and it'll probably hit me hard.

Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and, yes, the KH2 storyline is getting thrown in next chapter. Don't worry. Things will slow down after the KH2 storyline. What? The story's going to go on even after Demyx's death? Of course! I'm not going to be a bitch and end it with Axel never telling Demyx the truth about his feelings! That would just be heartless of me!

**Axel: **-- I will PAY you to NEVER say that again.

**Demyx:** Yeah…that pun was bad. Even by my standards.

Oh fine. Be that way.


	8. Track 008 Don't Give a Damn

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Kingdom Hearts

**DISCLAIMER: **I don't own Kingdom Hearts!!

**Chapter Summary:** Demyx is summoned to Xemnas' chambers when news of Roxas abandoning the Organization reaches them and is ordered to keep an eye on Axel in case the fiery redhead decides to go after him. When he realizes how torn Axel is, Demyx is faced with a choice: Help Axel escape the Organization to find Roxas, or complete his mission.

**Pairing:** Slight AkuDemy

**Rated:** T+ for language and shounen-ai.

**A/N – **Not much to say this time except that I'm pretty much flying through the games like a kid in a candy store, but this is just the crust of the pie. After the games, comes the filling, and then the topping. However, whether the topping is sweet or bitter depends on the rest of the story, as it's kind of just writing itself. Anyway, enjoy!

Great. Now I'm hungry for pie…--

_**Track 008**_

_-Don't Give a Damn -_

"You understand that Number 13 has been branded a traitor, correct?" Xemnas eyed Demyx, the blonde shifting uncomfortably under his superior's gaze. He nodded slowly, glad that his hood was up to hide his sick expression. He had just recently heard about Roxas leaving the Organization. In fact, he had been there eavesdropping when Axel tried to stop the youngest Nobody. "Then you should have no problem taking this mission."

"M-mission?" Demyx choked out, his surprise evident in his voice.

Xemnas frowned. "Yes. As of this moment, you are to watch Axel. If he tries to leave, then you know what to do." Demyx paled. Everyone knew Axel and Roxas had been a couple, and it wasn't hard to imagine Axel flipping out and fleeing the Organization to try and save his lover before the other Nobodies killed him. Xemnas cleared his throat to get the water user's attention. Demyx flinched when he realized he was supposed to say something and yelped out a 'yes sir' before fleeing from the room as if Hades himself was after him.

_They _so_ sent the wrong guy to do this…! I mean, I _did_ date him once too! Who's to say I don't still like him?! I mean, I _don't_ but…if…if I did…_he sniffled, tears in his eyes as he whimpered, yanking his hood down and banging his head against the wall, "I don't like him still! Totally over him…I'm not secretly dancing because Roxas is gone…seriously…" He jumped when he heard a low chuckle and whirled around to see who had overheard his rant and prayed it wasn't Axel. He sighed in relief when he saw Xigbar propping up a wall with his burly frame.

"Quit lying, kid. I may only have one eye, but I've got enough sense to tell you're still head-over-heels for the fucker." He said as if it were an everyday occurrence to eavesdrop. Demyx gave him a panicked look and the older man let out a hearty laugh, walking over and draping an arm around the blonde's shoulders. "Don't get your panties in a bunch, Tinker Bell. It's not like he'd believe me even if I told him." He grinned at the blonde like a shark and Demyx was suddenly feeling very uncomfortable about being the smallest Organization member now that Roxas and Zexion were gone.

"Um…uh…" Was all he could say without feeling like a total idiot, and even then he was certain that "um" and "uh" weren't at the top of the "most intelligent things to say when you've been caught red-handed."

Xigbar stared at Demyx, than rolled his eye, releasing him and shaking his head. "You poor stupid thing." He ignored the dirty look he got in response to his words and turned his back to Demyx, spreading his hands to shrug. "You took the mission, right?" He didn't have to look to know that the blonde was regretting it. "Don't blame you. Just make sure you don't get yourself hurt again." Demyx smiled weakly and turned to leave, shaking his head and trying to forget the fact that he had just been given the mission to baby-sit the guy he was in love with to stop said guy from going after the guy's young lover. Oh, how cruel life could be.

"Oh, and Demyx!" The Nocturne paused and looked back at Xigbar. The sharp shooter smirked and held his hand to his ear as if he were holding a phone. "Make sure you tell me all the gory details." Demyx smiled weakly.

"It's not like you won't know them already." The older man laughed, amused at Demyx's sudden spunk. He waved and the two went their separate ways, Demyx dreading each step that brought him closer to Axel's room.

He hesitated outside the door. He had never been allowed in Axel's room before, and he didn't think he would find himself standing outside of it anytime after or before their break up. Scared, he hesitantly reached up to knock. His knuckle grazed the door without a sound and he was content to just let that count as trying and turned to leave when the door opened. "Demyx?" The blonde felt his throat tighten and it took every ounce of his being to keep from bursting into tears. He looked back at the redhead, then quickly averted his gaze when he realized the other male was shirtless and only in his boxers.

"Um…j-j-just…w-w-wanted to see h-how you were h-holding up, A-Axel…" He stuttered, knowing his cheeks were as red as Axel's hair. He took a deep breath to compose himself and turned to face Axel, smiling in what he hoped wasn't too cheerful for fear of accidentally irritating the man who had just lost his lover. He opened his mouth to speak, but he couldn't think of anything except, _Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale…_so he just closed his mouth and let his smile fall as he dropped his gaze to the floor as he mumbled apologetically, "I'm…really sorry about Roxas…" It was true. He felt horrible about Axel losing the guy he dated longer then two weeks. Of course, he also felt horrible that it was partially his fault they had only lasted two weeks, but it wasn't the time to feel guilty about the past. "I wish there was something I could to help get him back…"

Axel studied the blonde in front of him for a long while before a thought struck him. Without a word, he grabbed Demyx's coat and dragged the Nocturne into his room, slamming the door shut behind them. Demyx squeaked as he was dragged to a comfortable looking armchair and tossed into it, Axel dropping to a seated position on the bed. Adjusting his coat a bit, Demyx asked nervously, "Uh…what…was that about? Did I say something wrong?"

"No, Demyx," Axel said with a grin. Demyx felt faint from just hearing his name on Axel's lips and was certain he looked like he was about to pass out as Axel blinked at him. Once he was sure Demyx was going to remain conscious, he continued. "You said the perfect thing!" The blonde blushed, grinning weakly. He didn't like where this was going. "There _is_ something you can do."

"T-there is?" He asked nervously, shifting uncomfortably as he tried to figure out what he could have said to trigger such a friendly reaction from Axel. As far as he knew, Axel was still mad at him, though for what he wasn't exactly certain even though he had pondered it for weeks.

The redhead nodded, crossing his legs and leaning back on a hand as he gestured with his hand as he usually did when he was talking. "Yeah. Listen, no doubt Xemnas has someone baby-sitting me," Demyx just swallowed hard and tried not to look guilty. "So I need someone on the inside to help me out. That someone, Demyx, is you."

"M-me?!" He choked, practically falling out of the chair. "B-b-b-b-b-but…"

"Listen to me, Demyx," The redhead was suddenly serious, his peridot eyes locking onto the blonde's sapphire ones. "Roxas…is really important to me. I _need_ to bring him back…" The honesty of his words almost made Demyx throw up. He stared at Axel for a long while, breathing slowly and calmly so as to keep his stomach from jumping out of his throat.

_He really loves Roxas…there's no chance at all for me…none at all…_He thought, trying his hardest to block his emotions from his face. Swallowing hard and forcing a smile, he nodded slowly. "Y-yeah. Okay. I'll help you." _Only because he makes you happy._ He saw how Axel's face lit up and a new wave of nausea came over him, but he kept it at bay as he stood and began brushing wrinkles from his coat. He could hear Axel getting dressed, the redhead talking as he did so.

"Alright then. It'd probably be better to avoid the portals as much as possible just in case, so I'll need your help getting to Vexen's old Gummi ship. You know where it is, right?" Demyx nodded, too afraid to open his mouth. "Good. All I need you to do is keep a lookout for me. Other then that, your part's nil so you don't have to worry about Xemnas." Demyx nodded again. He blinked when he felt Axel hug him, the redhead's cheek on his shoulder as he said gently, "Thanks, Demyx." He released Demyx and left the room, leaving the blonde to stare after him with wide eyes.

The warmth left him and his legs gave out, the blonde sinking to a seated position as he stared out the open doorway. He didn't have the energy left to cry, or even throw up like he wanted to, but after several minutes of fighting an inner battle; he was able to stand and staggered out of the room. He felt suffocated, as if the air was too thick to enter his lungs, as he opened a portal to the rainy streets of the World That Never Was.

He sagged against the building and stared up at the sky, letting the rain cool his head and sort his thoughts. _One: I just took a mission to stop Axel from leaving. Two: I just tossed the mission to help him escape. Three: Xemnas is going to have my head either way. Four: I hate Roxas. Five: I hate myself more._ He sunk to the ground, putting his head in his hands and trying to figure out how his life had gone so wrong.

He knew it all started with Axel, but couldn't bring himself to blame Axel. It really was his own fault for believing that Nobodies who felt they didn't have hearts could actually grow one. It was then that he began questioning his own heart. He had one, he knew it, but lately everything had been going so wrong and so fast that it was only then in his solitude that he realized what was wrong. _I know I have at least part of a heart…but when I see Axel smile I feel whole…until I realize that he'll never smile at me again…then it's just empty…is this really love? Why…do we want to feel this way so badly?! It hurts…_He pulled his knees close, glad the rain hid his tears as he said aloud, "I'm giving up everything…for a smile I'll never see again…I'm such an idiot…"

* * *

Helping Axel escape was easier then he had expected. Few people took the route that Axel had mapped out, and the two easily dispatched the few dusks that blocked their path. It was a short journey, but felt to be the longest in Demyx's life. They reached the abandoned Gummi that Vexen had once used during one of his portal-phobic moments after he used Demyx as a guinea pig to test the affect of portals on intelligence. That was about the only time Demyx had ever been offended, but he was glad that the results, later, were found to be negative.

Axel grimaced at the Gummi, but didn't say anything about its disrepair. He hoped it would still fly, but for now he could take care of it on his own. He turned to Demyx and gave him a grin, noting the weak smile the blonde returned it with. "Alright. Once I get this bucket of fruit off the ground, head back to base and get to your room, that way no one suspects a thing."

_They already will…_Demyx thought, but he just nodded in agreement anyway. The redhead gave him a quick hug, than disappeared into the ship. It took several moments, but the ship finally got off the ground and Demyx followed Axel's order, opening a portal to his room and disappearing into the darkness.

It was no surprise that, ten minutes later, Demyx heard a knock on the door. It sounded what he imagined a police officer's knock would be, and he didn't even bother to try and change his wet clothing or dry his hair. He opened the door, dripping wet from rain, and looked at Xaldin and Saix with an expression of sadness and knowing on his face. Without a word, he stepped out into the hall and allowed them to lead him to the meeting room without protest.

_Don't Give a Damn_

_**Shrek**_

**A/N - **Stupid Axel has no clue that Demyx just sacrificed himself for him…poor Demy! Why do I torture you so?! Oh well. It makes things interesting, ne? Anyway, please Read & Review!


	9. Track 009 I Need a Miracle

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Kingdom Hearts

**DISCLAIMER: **I don't own Kingdom Hearts!!

**Chapter Summary:** Continuance of _Don't Give a Damn_! Dragged to the center of the meeting room and left alone with Xemnas, Demyx strikes a deal with the Nobody leader: Don't brand Axel as a traitor and he'll do anything asked of him. Curious to see just how far Demyx will go, Xemnas agrees…

**Pairing:** Hints of AkuRoxas / One-sided XemDemy

**Rated:** M for language, shounen-ai and non-con.

**A/N – **Well, this story has finally been given an M rating, but I'm not going into detail on anything. It's mostly just to be safe so that I don't get in trouble with . I hope the rating change doesn't scare away my readers or any future readers, because I would just cry. Please keep reading!

_**Track 009**_

_-I Need a Miracle-_

Xemnas glared down at Demyx from his throne, the blonde left in the middle of the room by Xaldin and Saix, the latter two leaving the room so that Xemnas could punish the Nocturne for directly disobeying orders. Once the doors had closed behind them, Xemnas spoke, his voice carrying an edge that made Demyx feel like a child about to get beaten. "Number 9," Demyx cringed. It was never a good thing when he referred to you by your number. "Explain to me what you failed to understand about your mission."

"I…" Demyx swallowed hard. Gathering his nerve and hoping for a swift end for his spunk and stupidity, he looked up at Xemnas and said with forced courage, "I understood it all, sir. I just didn't agree with it." Xemnas seemed taken aback by Demyx's courage, but it was short lived. The man jumped from his throne and walked over to Demyx, the blonde using every ounce of his willpower to keep from running and hiding. The white haired man's hand lashed out and the Nocturne found himself hitting the floor several feet away with a nasty bruise on his face.

He coughed, wincing when he hit the base of one of the other thrones. With a groan, he started to try and get to his feet, but froze when he heard Xemnas speaking to Saix. "Saix, send every Dusk after Axel. Kill him."

"W-wait!" Demyx yelled, suddenly terrified. Xemnas and Saix looked at him, the latter shaking his head slightly to get Demyx to quiet down. The blonde staggered to his feet and stumbled over to Xemnas, his head swimming. Dropping to his hands and knees, he begged, tears in his eyes, "P-please! Don't! H-he's just g-g-going to f-find Roxas! H-he'll come back! I know he will! P-please give him a chance! I'll do anything you want me to just don't send anyone after him!" Saix inhaled sharply, shifting his gaze to Xemnas.

The Nobody leader studied Demyx for a long while before saying, a smirk on his face, "Saix…forget the order. Leave us." The lunatic hesitated, but only for a moment, closing the doors behind him. The blonde cringed when he was grabbed by his coat and pushed against a throne, his chest aching as the cold stone pressed against it.

The blonde blinked, and then let out a yelp of protest when his coat was ripped off of him, followed by his pants. He looked back at Xemnas, tears of fear in his eyes as he yelped, "S-stop! What are you—" The older Nobody leaned close, smirking as he answered in a purr, watching in satisfaction as Demyx blushed and tried to get away when he rubbed against him.

"I'm taking your part of the deal, Number 9. Now…let's see how much you can take before you decide to withdraw your bargain…"

Outside of the room, Saix cringed when he heard Demyx scream in pain. Unable to listen, he left, trying to drown out the thought of innocent Demyx being used by Xemnas, the most cruel of the Nobodies left.

* * *

Demyx curled up in his bed, crying into his pillow. Everything hurt and he was covered in more bruises than he could count. He never knew just how cruel Xemnas could be until that day, when he had mercilessly taken Demyx until the young Nobody had passed out, then beat him for losing consciousness. Demyx had been afraid of Xemnas before, after the man had attacked him for discovering the truth about the Organization's plans a long time ago, but the fear was doubled after that day.

He sniffled and shifted slightly, muffling a cry of pain with his pillow. He hoped Axel got back soon, unsure of how much of Xemnas's torture he could take before he just killed himself to escape the pain. He shuddered when he remembered Xemnas's last words as Luxord and Xigbar helped Demyx out of the room. _Midnight tonight… I can't take another beating like that in six hours! He's trying to kill me! I just know it…_ He swallowed hard, hugging his pillow close as he prayed to whatever God would listen, _Please let Axel come back soon…_

* * *

The hours turned into days and the days to weeks without any sign of Axel.

Every night, like clockwork, Luxord and Xigbar would come and fetch him from Xemnas and then take care of him for a few hours before they were called off to do their own missions, though neither of them were very pleased with Xemnas. Demyx discovered that shutting down his emotions did a pretty good job of blocking the majority of the emotional damage he was suffering, but he still had his limits.

When Xemnas found out that Sora had reawakened, he had, at first, been furious and nearly killed Demyx and the blonde wound up unconscious for four days afterwards, only to get forced out of his bed and into Xemnas's. This was the only time Demyx had ever tried fighting back and it nearly cost him his life a second time.

It was during one of the meetings that Demyx felt a moment of peace. Xemnas gave him the mission of retrieving the Olympus Stone from the Underworld and to liberate Sora's "true disposition." Glad for any excuse to be away from the base, he agreed readily and was gone before the meeting even ended.

* * *

Demyx sighed heavily as he hid behind a rock in the Underworld after his failed attempt to strike a deal with Hades. Of course, he knew the bargain would be rejected, but it at least bought him some more time away from the Organization. Any time away was a good time.

He winced a bit, his injuries still fresh and sore even after four days, but he didn't complain. It was the best he had felt in weeks, and he wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth for fear of getting bitten. He looked up when he heard people coming and grimaced, standing painfully and checking to make sure he had the Olympus Stone. He looked back at the tunnel entrance when he heard the footsteps stop and proclaimed, "Ah! You!"

Turning all the way around, he tugged down his hood and smiled brightly, then paused. The kid looked sort of familiar, of course he didn't know who the duck or the dog was, but the kid definitely rang some bells. "Wait a sec…you're…Roxas?" The kid looked surprised, then confused.

"Huh? Excuse me? Roxas?" He asked, his voice cracking slightly as if his voice was just starting to change. Maybe the kid wasn't Roxas, but there was no mistaking the face or eyes. Demyx grimaced. No wonder Axel had been gone for so long! This kid was an idiot.

"Oh…it's no use." He muttered, digging into his pockets for his note card to double check his mission objectives.

"Huh? What are you talking about?" The kid inquired, obviously more confused then before.

Demyx cleared his throat as he read the note card aloud. "Let's see here…'If the subject fails to respond, use aggression to liberate his true disposition'…Right. Did they ever pick the wrong guy for this one…" He tucked the note card away, trying very hard not to cringe at the thought of fighting someone in his condition. The kid raised an eyebrow at him and crossed his arms, eyeing the Nobody curiously as he muttered about Demyx being weird.

He pulled out the Olympus Stone in hopes of maybe figuring out how to use it to help him fulfill his mission, but paused when the dog said something about him being a thief. Offended, he pouted. "Now that's just plain rude!" With a grumble, he held the stone over his head and focused, suppressing a shudder when he felt the energy encircle him. His pain was momentarily forgotten and he was quite surprised at how quickly it worked. He grinned at the kid and palmed the stone, summoning his Sitar and strumming his fingers against the cords. It had been a while since he fought or even touched his precious Sitar, but the moment his fingers touched the strings, his insecurities were gone and he summoned his water forms with a simple cord or two.

Of course, he was shocked when he realized that this kid, Roxas 2.0, managed to beat every single form he threw out like they were lowly Heartless. He yelped when he was hit by the Keyblade in the arm, the strike startling him and irritating one of his hidden injuries. He stumbled back, dismissing his Sitar and clutching his arm in pain. Tears in his eyes, he begged once more, hoping the boy would heed his plea, "Roxas, come back to us!" Without waiting for a reply, he teleported away.

He appeared hidden in the stands of the Coliseum, panting heavily. _Oh, shit. That freaking hurt!_ He hissed inwardly, tugging open his coat and lifting his shirt sleeve to look at the injury. He grimaced when he saw the partially healed injury had been torn open by the force of the Keyblade, blood staining his arm and shirt once more. He clutched it tightly, summoning some water to cleanse the wound. _R-rest…I need to find somewhere…to hide out until I recover…_

He paused, thinking of Aeris. She had been helpful and kind back then, maybe she would be willing to help him again. Closing his coat, he summoned a portal to Hollow Bastion and scrambled through and into the streets of Hollow Bastion near the café. He jerked off his coat and stuffed it under a trashcan, making a mental note of as to where it was so he would be able to find it again.

Slowly, he stood and sighed, holding his wound tightly as he searched for Aeris. He let out a sigh of relief when he spotted her selling flowers at the corner and waved to catch her attention. He must have looked as bad as he felt, as she dropped her basket and ran over to him, her emerald eyes wide with panic. "Demyx! What happened to you?" She asked, staring at the injuries that littered his arms, her gaze lingering on the bleeding one. He smiled weakly.

"I got hit by a walking brick wall." He said jokingly, though he couldn't keep the grin on his face any longer. He really wished he hadn't dropped the Olympus Stone. It made his wounds stop hurting. She pulled his hand away from his arm and winced, closing her eyes and healing the injury. "Aeris? Can I stay here for a while…?" She looked at him curiously, studying his sad blue eyes for a long while before nodding and smiling.

"Of course you can. C'mon, big boy." She slipped under his arm and helped him walk. "My house is small, but at least you'll be able to rest." He mumbled thanks to her, then an apology for being a bother. She smiled and chuckled. "It's okay. It's nice to help someone in need…even if it is a Nobody." He stared at her in shock, the woman just smiling kindly and helping him. She knew what he was and yet she was still helping him? It was confusing, and he doubted she was doing it for the same reasons he had helped Axel. He didn't question it though, instead just let her lead the way to someplace with a nice warm bed and hopefully a warm meal.

He wound up staying with her for a few days, the woman demanding that he stay in bed until his wounds fully healed. She was kind to him, answered his questions, listened to his problems and gave him advice, and he found he actually liked her quite a bit, though not romantically. More like a big sister or a mother. He wasn't sure if she would like to be compared to his unknown mother, but when he accidentally blurted it out once over dinner, she just laughed and started calling him "son."

It was during his final day there that the War of 1000 Heartless came. He could hear the battle going on and decided it was time to go. He smiled at Aeris, the woman handing him his coat and looking nervous. "Thanks for everything, sister." He said playfully, tugging on his coat. He paused and looked out the window sadly. He could see the Heartless hoards coming closer, and wondered what he should do. The thought of his "sister" becoming a heartless came to mind and he grimaced. "Um…Aeris…?"

"It's okay." She said gently, smiling at him. "Go on. Find your light, and make sure you tell Axel how you feel, okay? It's not often a Nobody starts finding his own heart…so he's an idiot if he doesn't see how much you care." He blushed. Telling her everything seemed so natural and she never seemed to mind and always knew just what to say. He squared his shoulders and sucked in a deep breath.

He would protect someone for once. He wouldn't let the Heartless get to his friend or her friends, and if it meant releasing more hearts into Kingdom Hearts and making Xemnas's goals stronger, then so be it. As he ran from the house and teleported into the pass, he felt strangely happy. He had never really done anything that he wanted to do, and to know that what he wanted to protect someone made him feel special somehow.

Of course, he wasn't expecting to come face to face with Sora, Goofy and Donald again.

* * *

"Number 9 has been killed, Lord Xemnas." Xaldin said calmly. He glanced over at Luxord, Xigbar and Saix, noting the looks of sadness on their faces. Xemnas merely scoffed and looked at Saix, silently telling him to send every Dusk and Nobody available to find and kill Axel. Without the bargainer there, the deal was void, and Axel was free game.

* * *

Axel watched from the cliffside as Sora dealt the finishing blow on Demyx, the blonde Nobody letting out an anguished cry as he collapsed and vanished into nothingness. He clutched his chest in pain, tears falling down his tattooed cheeks as he stared, his peridot eyes wide in horror. "Demyx…! DEMYX!" He growled and stood, summoning his Chakrams. Roxas or not, that boy had killed Demyx without even a hint of remorse and he would pay. Destroying the cliffside was easy, and he found himself quite pleased when the idiot dog had been hit and hopefully killed. Even if it wasn't Sora or the king, at least the boy would know what it felt like to have one of his dearest friends taken away so suddenly.

He froze, tears still falling even as Sora and his friends ran for revenge. _Demyx…knew what he was taking about, didn't he? My chest hurts…his smile…it's gone forever._

_I Need a Miracle_

_**Cascada**_

**A/N – **GASP! Bad Sora! Bad! –sniffle- I was sniffling the whole time while I was writing this chapter, and I know many of you are like, "WTF?! You didn't change anything? Demyx really died? How's the story going to continue?!" Easy. It's not over yet. Yes, Demyx "died" but what happens to a Nobody when they die? From this point on, I'm taking it from an RP from way back when.

All Nobodies go somewhere when they "cease to exist" but what is that place? _Midnight Town_, the Nobodies version of Twilight Town. Now is where the real plot kicks off and where I get to have fun and toss in some of my favorite anime/game characters and screw around with them to make new Nobodies. Fun!!

Keep reading, folks, and keep an eye out of characters from other anime and games.


	10. Track 010 A Place in this World

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Kingdom Hearts or any other anime/games used

**DISCLAIMER: **I don't own Kingdom Hearts or any other anime/games used!!

**Chapter Summary:** After dying, Demyx was expecting nothingness, but instead got a second shot at life. After awakening in a strange city carved from onyx and being taken in by a small group of rebel Nobodies, he discovers the truth behind a Nobody's existence and the sad fate that awaits all who begin to find their Hearts.

**Pairing:** N/A at the moment

**Rated:** T+ for language and shounen-ai.

**A/N – **Yes! Demyx lives yet again! And some of you may or may not know some of the Nobodies I've spawned for the second story arch in my Melodious Flame story. Well, anyone who's played Final Fantasy VII should know one of them, and I'm pretty sure most of the readers should know who the other two are, though I'm not sure about the last one. Anyway, enjoy and don't worry. Axel will join the crew of misfits soon.

_**Track 010**_

_-A Place in this World -_

The Nothingness wasn't what Demyx had expected. He had expected to see nothing but the darkness his lost Heart had been taken by but instead he found a place that was far more then what any Nobody could have foreseen.

Clear midnight skies rested overhead, the moon covering the area with a blanket of pale light. Around him, buildings of darkest black towered over him in all directions and, for a moment, he was reminded of the World That Never Was, but something was different. Slowly, he tried to gather his wits, trying to remember what had happened and how he had ended up in a back alley in such a strange place.

Flashes of a losing battle made his head spin and he felt ill, but then another thought struck him as odd. He felt...heavier. Not physically, but spiritually, as if something was there that had been missing. Confused, he stood, using the cold stone wall beside him for support as he began to walk, awkwardly, toward the street. He hesitated when he caught sight of a flickering sign overhead that read, in large, sparkling letters, "Welcome to Midnight Town."

"Midnight Town...?" He muttered dizzily, looking around curiously. "How'd I get here anyway? Is this...what's after death?" He shook his head, closing his eyes in an attempt to keep the world from spinning. He slowly opened his eyes and looked up at the sky as rain fell despite the clear sky overheard. "What is this place...?"

"You saw the sign, right?" He jumped when he heard a male voice from behind him, the blonde whirling around to look at the figure, which was clothed in the black coat of the Organization. His movement was, apparently, too fast, as his head spun and he fell onto his rear like a drunk. He held his head painfully and cringed as he mumbled something that was lost even to his own ears. He heard the figure chuckle and watched as they knelt in front of him, reaching up to remove his hood. Demyx found it odd that while the Nobody before him wore the Organization uniform, his gloves were white, and the right one had a strange red symbol on it.

The Nobody seemed to notice where the blonde's gaze lingered and hesitated, chuckling again. "It's useless in the rain. Maybe I'll show you once we get you somewhere safer." He left his hood on and grabbed Demyx by his arm, dragging him to his feet and sliding under the arm to help him walk.

"Who…?" The man shook his head. He wasn't much taller then Demyx, so he didn't have any trouble helping him out of the rain and into a run down apartment complex. A moggle with glasses looked up from a book and made a 'kupo' sound before scooping up a pen and hovering over a page in the apartment log.

The cloaked man looked at Demyx and asked for his name, then repeated it to the moggle, who scribbled it down and handed a key across the counter. Demyx blinked, confused, as he took the key and stared at it. It didn't have a number, just a weird symbol. "Looks like you're in my block, kid." He looked at the other Nobody, even more confused.

"Your block?" The water user echoed.

"Yeah." They resumed walking, the hooded Nobody explaining as they entered an old grate elevator. "The apartment is broken up into four blocks as stupid as it sounds. Block one is run by Xrejin, an ex-Shinigami. It's mostly for Nobodies who haven't had a chance to…well, not exist. Block two is owned by the city's local seer, Telmx and it's for the younger Nobodies and even a few people who still have their hearts, like his brother, Roger. Block three is run by Xzax, a former soldier. He'll pretty much take in anyone. And last, but not least, is my block, the place for the Lost Ones." He could tell Demyx still didn't quite get it and clarified. "In short it's so that we can break up the entire group so we can keep them from getting themselves killed."

"Oh." The rest of the elevator ride was spent in silence, Demyx still trying to wrap his mind around still being alive as well as the whole concept of blocks. It reminded him of a prison and he wasn't exactly all sleeping in a cold wet cell. Wet he could handle, but not cold. His first opinion of the rundown apartment complex, which was massive now that he thought about it, was something out of a horror movie. The floors were mostly grates, the walls were stained with what he prayed wasn't blood and the lights flickered on and off.

They stepped off of the elevator on the eighteenth floor and Demyx felt even more uncomfortable. He swore that each time a light flickered as they walked down the partial grate hallway that something would come into view and it didn't look pleasant. By the time they had reached what he could only guess was his apartment, he was clinging to the other Nobody in fear.

"Xrejin, we got another one." The Nobody called as he opened the door and entered. Demyx was expecting the worst, but was pleasantly surprised when he saw a quaint little apartment with carpeted floors, clean walls and slightly worn, but still usable, furniture. Sitting on the couch was a tall, strong-looking man who looked a bit tired. His Organization coat rested on the back of the couch, leaving him in a bright purple shirt and jeans, but it wasn't his clothing that caught Demyx's attention. It was his crimson hair that was pulled back into a spiky ponytail. His sharp brown eyes found Demyx's and the blonde cowered in fear behind the other Nobody. "Stop scaring the new kid and get your ass into gear."

The redhead growled and stood, rubbing the back of his head as he grumbled, "Whatever, _colonel_." He moved to leave, grabbing up his coat and pausing to study Demyx curiously. The blonde swallowed hard and tried to introduce himself, but could only choke out a weak whimper before he had his face buried back in the still cloaked Nobody's back. "He's a chicken, isn't he?" He felt the other Nobody chuckle.

"Yeah, but he's still new to _it_. Maybe once he gets settled in he'll be more sociable."

"Maybe. See you, Oryx." Demyx couldn't help but notice the note of irritation in the redhead's voice, and could only edge away as the tall, burly man left.

"Ja." Oryx's farewell was lost among the slamming of the apartment door. He shrugged and pulled away from Demyx, unzipping his coat and tossing it aside. Demyx stared in shock at the man before him, unable to hide his awe. The man, while not much taller than himself, was handsome with short ebony hair and dark eyes that seemed to shine with ambition and pride. His clothing was a plain white button-up shirt and blue slacks that seemed to be part of a uniform of some kind. He smirked when he noticed Demyx staring and said playfully in his baritone voice, "I hope the reason your jaw's on the floor is due to my manliness and charm and not distain."

Blushing, Demyx floundered for the right words. "Um, well, it's just…I wasn't expecting…well, you see…" Oryx laughed, flopping on the couch and motioning for Demyx to sit on the armchair across from him. Quickly, the blonde complied, sitting straight and at attention, ignoring the fact that he was still in his own coat. Oryx seemed to ignore it as well and began talking, his tone no longer light.

"As you can see, Midnight Town isn't the most lovely of places." Demyx grimaced and shuddered. "It's a world full of Nobodies who have been killed or have no place left to go…while there are few Nobodies, there are even fewer who have the willpower to survive after death, and you're one of those unlucky few." The blonde looked puzzled, asking curiously why it was considered unlucky. The ebony haired man's expression darkened as he laced his fingers together and rested his elbows on his knees, staring no longer at Demyx but past him into bitter memories. "…We're trapped here. This place is a prison and we're the prisoners."

Demyx grimaced. _Maybe I shouldn't have compared it to a prison…_he thought, even more nervous now then ever before. Oryx smiled a bit at the look of fear on the blonde's face. His smile fell as he stood and moved to stand by the window, clasping his hands behind his back and watching Demyx through the reflection as he continued.

"Midnight Town was supposed to be a haven for us, but is now our cell. We are free to roam most of it, but the closer you get to the boarding wall, the more dangerous the surroundings get. Our prison guards, Nobodies just as emotionless as the Dusks but ten times as dangerous, have killed most of the Nobodies who had tried to leave…" His gaze fell to the sill, his expression becoming pained.

For a long while, only the sound of the rain beating against the glass filled the unnerving silence between the two Nobodies and it was in this silence that the blonde was able to read the other's expression. Demyx recognized that look, the one of someone who had lost everything. He lowered his gaze to the floor and mumbled, "You lost someone…?"

The man nodded slowly. "Yes. He was a brave, but stupid, man who followed my orders as we and several others stormed the 'guards' in a full frontal assault. He and the majority of the troops died."

Demyx gave him a sympathetic look, wanting to say something like he understood, but so far he didn't. He had only lost friends, not one that he had loved. He knew from the way Oryx spoke of this man that he was more then just a follower. The dark haired man sucked in a small breath and exhaled slowly as he resumed his explanation. "So you see. Those who passed on were lucky. We're the Lost Ones, the Nobodies that even the Darkness didn't want. But we'll get out someday. That's what I want to believe. He always did."

The blonde sighed. He always felt like he was getting into trouble, and this seemed to be the biggest trouble he had ever found himself in. A prison city, a depressed Nobody colonel, a creepy Nobody Shinigami (whatever that was) that reminded him of a grumpy Axel, a crappy apartment building and a headache the size of Aquatica. Oh, he hated thinking too much, and that was all he had at the moment: thoughts and too many questions to sort out which were the most important.

As if reading Demyx's mind – or just his expression of child-like confusion and loss for words – Oryx turned to face him with a small smile on his face. He walked past the blonde, ruffling his hair as he said coolly, "Get some sleep. You can ask me all the questions you want in the morning." Without waiting for a reply, he was gone, leaving the room with a grace that would give Axel a run for his money.

Demyx sighed, watching the door shut behind the colonel. He wandered the apartment for a while, but just couldn't seem to find the desire to sleep. Axel was, hopefully, alive and well somewhere. _Maybe he found Roxas and is living his happily ever after while I'm stuck here in this creepy dump._ He thought bitterly, slumping back into the armchair and hugging his knees close.

He studied the bare walls, which had been painted a boring cream color, then the worn out furniture and sighed again. He would have to ask Oryx about decorating the room, other wise he would feel out of place in his own apartment, though that could be the whole point. He doubted anyone would be happy with plain, empty walls accented by dirty furniture and cracked counters in the kitchen.

He could only hope Axel was living happily and, most of all, freely. He sighed and smiled a bit. On the brighter side, he had possibly made a friend already and he was alive even if he was trapped. He summoned his sitar and grinned even more. He had his music, a friend, a bed, food, and a roof over his head. What more could he ask for other than someone to hold him? He grimaced and flicked one of the cords of the Sitar, listening to resigning note as it faded.

"Okay, Demyx," He told himself, taking a deep breath. "Relax. At least he's living his dream: just him, Roxas and the wide open road…So what if I'm stuck in a creepy apartment building with weird Nobodies? It's like a twisted version of _Avenue Q_, only with Nobodies instead of puppets. No big deal, right? Maybe I'll find my _real_ true love here!" He grinned at that thought, pushing Axel to the back of his mind for a moment, though the redhead resurfaced in his mind several times in the evening until Demyx was finally able to drift to sleep in the chair, his lullaby being the gentle patter of rain on the windows and the low grumble of thunder in the background.

_A Place in this World_

_**Taylor Swift**_

**A/N –** See? He's alive and living in Avenue Q! I bet you guys can guess who Xrejin and Oryx are. You're smart. You'll figure it out pretty quickly, and I bet 99.9 of you have guessed who the unseen Xzax is, but I doubt anyone knows who Telmx is. Maybe you'll figure it out after he's introduced. Anyway, nothing else to say but if Axel stays an emotional retard after he arrives, you can expect at least one OryxDemy moment.

Poor Demy. He's everyone's favorite uke.

Until next time!


	11. Track 011 Brighter Side

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Kingdom Hearts or any of the other characters mentioned or used

**DISCLAIMER: **I don't own Kingdom Hearts or any of the other characters mentioned or used!!

**Chapter Summary:** Demyx, after two weeks, has finally started to settle into his new life and his _Avenue Q_ life takes an interesting turn when he's invited to have dinner with Oryx and the unseen Xzax and Telmx. However, the last thing he was expecting was to be dragged on a scouting mission to save a Nobody who appeared in the wrong part of the city at a very wrong time.

**Pairing:** N/A at the moment

**Rated:** T+ for language and slight shounen-ai.

**A/N – **Last chapter was a little slow and not a sign of Axel anywhere. Well, it's never (or rarely) a dull moment with Demyx and his new friends, so you can expect a bit more answered questions, some action and even some foreshadowing if you guys care to look for it.

Don't worry. This IS an AkuDemy story, so Axel will show up. Whether it's sooner or later depends on where the story takes me. It sort of just writes itself.

Anyway, enjoy!

_**Track 011**_

_-Brighter Side -_

Demyx sighed, slumping over a pile of boxes as he tugged on the collar of his pale blue shirt in an attempt to cool himself down. He didn't think that Midnight Town, with its permanent darkness, could get so hot. Apparently, according to Oryx, it went through phases of extreme hot to extreme cold and it usually didn't last long much to Demyx's relief. All he could do was help move the dusty boxes of what the coal-eyed Nobody had told him was "all things blue."

With a groan of despair, he sunk to the ground and moaned childishly, "It's so hoooooot…! Doesn't the AC work around here?" He looked up when he heard a chuckle and blinked at the can of cold soda that was being held in front of him. He grinned as he put his forehead against the can and took it between his hands gladly as he cooed, "Oh, I love you so much. If it weren't weird, I'd SO kiss you." He grinned up at Oryx, whose ebony eyes seemed to be alight with amusement.

The man smirked. "Now, before I justify that with an answer, are you talking to me or the can?" Demyx grinned a bit more and pointed vaguely at Oryx, his bright blue eyes shining with innocence and happiness. Oryx smiled softly and put his hands on his hips as he laughed quietly. "Well, if that's the case, than I suppose that if you truly wanted to kiss me, I would be forced to comply."

Demyx blushed a bit and quickly dropped the can to his lap as he folded his legs and fiddled with the lip of the can. He felt Oryx ruffle his hair and smiled weakly. Oryx wasn't at all shy about his feelings and had decided to hit on the blonde every chance he got and, truthfully, Demyx kind of liked it. It felt nice to have someone like you, especially if it was someone as respected as the ex-colonel was. "Um…"

"I'm joking, Bubbles," Demyx grimaced at the nickname, but didn't say anything about it. It was amusing, though very embarrassing, when Oryx called him Bubbles so affectionately, but it also made him feel slightly uncomfortable. "I know your heart, what's left of it, belongs to that Axel you keep talking about." The Nocturne's blush darkened. Oryx smirked and sat on the floor next to him, leaning back on his hands as he sighed.

"I don't talk about him that much…only about as much as you do Havoc." Oryx smiled sadly and Demyx realized what he had said. Quickly, he yelped, tears welling in his eyes, "Oh, my gosh! I'm…I'm s-so sorry!" He sniffled when the dark haired man patted his head.

"It's alright. I know I talk about him a lot." He gave Demyx's nose a flick. "Which means you talk about Axel a lot as well." He sighed. "'Axel's the greatest guy in the world even though he dumped me on my ass because of dumb little argument over his life.'" He noticed Demyx's pout and smiled, sighing as he closed his eyes. "You're in love, and you don't even realize it…maybe one day he'll realize it too. Then you two can go and have wild mansex." He opened an eye slightly, grinning when he saw the blonde's face turn bright red from embarrassment.

Demyx smacked Oryx's arm and squeaked, hiding his face in his knees, "P-pervert! He's with Roxas! Why does he need me?! I'm just…"

The colonel sighed again. "You. You're just you, Demyx."

"Yeah…and being me sucks…"

"Only a bit."

"Does the AC work?"

"Hmmm…not since the Great Flood." At Demyx's blank expression, he smiled and explained. "A flood that covered the world in water. It happened (maybe) toward the beginning of man's reign."

Demyx sighed. "Is that a no?" Oryx nodded and the blonde sulked and made a slight motion with his hand. "See? Suckage." The colonel laughed and looked up at the ceiling fan as it slowly revolved, but it didn't do much except stir dust. He looked at Demyx from the corner of his eye, watching the blonde as the younger Nobody sipped at his soda and stared off into space with a look of sadness on his face. To break the younger male's thoughts, the colonel spoke, startling Demyx.

"Remember when I said we were the Lost Ones?" The Nocturne blinked, nodding. It had been so long ago since Oryx had mentioned the Lost Ones, and at the time Demyx had been in shock from, well, surviving. Oryx straightened and continued. "I never explained it to you, and I think it's time you knew." Now Demyx was excited. He was always kept out of the loop, and to suddenly be allowed into it was thrilling. His expression betrayed his excitement, as the older Nobody chuckled. "The Lost Ones…are Nobodies who had begun to find themselves. They don't pretend to feel. They actually do, and for some," He eyed Demyx as if to make his point clear. "It's more painful then others."

"Other Nobodies always seem to know when a Lost One has developed, as they flock to them and surround them in hopes of finding the secrets, even if they don't realize it. When this happens, they begin to regain the memories from the person they once were…You're a strange case though, Demyx…" The man closed his eyes, resting his palm against Demyx's cheek. "You feel as if your Heart were whole, and yet you haven't regained your memories from your Somebody…"

The blonde stared at Oryx in confusion. He didn't know a Nobody could ever fully regain the memories of their Somebody. All he knew about his other half was…well, nothing. He knew he couldn't have been a scientist or a fighter as he seemed to lack the skills of all the other Nobodies. Slowly, he asked, his voice soft, "How…do you know that?"

Oryx opened his eyes and watched Demyx's face for a moment before answering. "Telmx, our seer, saw you once in the halls…he told me that you were one of the few Nobodies whose memories have been locked away either from fear or magical means…he also said your fragile and we should be careful not to hurt you any more then Axel," he said the name with a touch of venom in it and Demyx could only smile weakly and hope he had imagined it. "Already has."

"Oh."

Oryx quickly dropped his hand from Demyx's face and stood, stretching. "Anyway." He gave the blonde a smirk and ruffled his hair lightly. "Have fun unpacking, Bubbles. I have other Nobodies to attend to." With that, he left, leaving Demyx's head spinning and brain hurting.

Oh, he hated thinking. It was always such a pain and all it ever did was give him a headache. There was a reason he wasn't scientist material, and to any who knew him, it was easy to see why. He sighed, pouting and half-glaring at his soda. Maybe it wasn't such a good thing being in the loop. The loop was just confusing.

* * *

_Beggars can't be choosers. _He thought, forcing himself to eat a piece of meat that tasted like what canned cat food smelled like. What exactly said meat was, he wasn't certain he wanted to know. Demyx, who had run out of food the night before and had been too busy unpacking a bunch of aquatic looking things that Oryx had given him, shoved the small container and its sticky meat aside, unable to take more than a bite before he felt ill. "Man, this beggar's going to be choosy." He muttered, downing four glasses of water and grimacing when that didn't succeed in getting rid of the taste.

He slouched in his seat on the couch, sighing and staring mournfully at the plastic container. "Note to self: Don't accept backup food from Oryx. Ever. Again." He sighed, standing and stretching. His apartment was looking pretty good now, though he still wasn't happy with the plain, boring wall color they had given him as a default. "Hmm…Oryx said something about jobs. I think I need to apply for one soon…other wise I'll be living on cat food…" He shuddered at the thought.

A knock at the door startled him and he looked up, blinking as he called, "Come in?" The door opened and Oryx stepped in, an amused smile on his face as he looked at the barely touched military grade meal. "Oryx?" Demyx checked the clock that hung from the wall. It was nearly ten at night! _What does he want from me at this hour…?_ He wondered.

"Are you done trying to eat that?" The blonde nodded quickly and Oryx chuckled, motioning for the younger Nobody to follow him. "C'mon, mooch. Lets get you something decent to eat." Eagerly, Demyx stood and followed him, closing the door behind them as they made their way toward a large door at the far end of the hall with a massive "Z" on it. He had seen the door a few times, but was never allowed past it as he was usually busy moving or too tired to investigate.

Oryx slid the door open easily and entered, holding the heavy looking door open for Demyx, who slipped in silently. They walked for a long while, passing doors identical to the ones in Oryx's block, the only difference being the Z above each one. They finally reached the door at the opposite end of the hall, and the dark haired man opened it without even knocking. "Xzax, we're here."

The room was cluttered, papers and magazines littering the floor and coffee table, and Demyx was certain that there was a pair of boxers stuffed into the couch cushions. He looked over the rest of the living room, eyeing the punching bag that hung in the corner, which was plastered with posters of half-naked men and women, and even one full-frontal picture of a naked man. Blushing and quickly averting his gaze, he decided that blocking that image from his mind was at the top of his list.

A head of spiky hair poked out of the kitchen and a tall, well-built man with a towel draped over his bare shoulders entered the living room, water dripping from his spiked black hair, which fell into his glowing blue eyes. He grinned at Demyx, three beer cans in his hands. "You must be this Demyx guy Oryx keeps talking about, hm?" The blonde nodded. "Heh," He grinned at Oryx and tossed the man a beer, Oryx catching the can easily and tapping the top of the can to get rid of the fizzing. "He's as cute as you said he was! I'm Xzax."

Demyx smiled a bit, slowly relaxing. Xzax was more the type of guy he would rather hang out with: light, cheerful and he didn't seem to be the brooding type. Xzax rubbed his left cheek where an X shaped scar rested and grinned at Demyx as he tossed the blonde a can, Demyx squeaking and stumbling as he tried to catch the can. He smiled in satisfaction when he finally got a grip on it and straightened, mimicking Oryx's motion curiously.

Xzax chuckled and flopped onto the couch, motioning for the other two Nobodies to claim a seat on either side of him or in the beanbag chair across from the couch. Demyx happily claimed the beanbag with a huge grin on his face as he held his ankles to keep himself balanced. It had been years since he last sat in a chair like that and it brought back fond memories, up until the point where Xemnas chucked it out a window because Demyx insisted on sitting in it during meetings.

The three sat and talked over beer and Pringles, and by the end of the evening, Demyx was the only sober one left, Oryx and Xzax clinging to each other as they laughed at their drunken jokes about cows and UFOs. Demyx watched them curiously, smiling to himself. Leave it to a water element to hold his liqure better than two hardened drinkers. It was almost funny.

The door opened suddenly, Demyx looking over as he took a sip from his drink. A small child, probably no older than five, entered, his crooked wizard's hat hiding most of his heavily tanned face. His long, uneven brown hair fell behind him as did a raccoon tail that poked out from underneath the dark blue, high-collared cloak he wore. His half-hidden gold eyes found Demyx and he bowed a bit in greeting as he closed the door behind him. The child walked calmly over to Xzax and Oryx, summoning a staff to his small hand and smacking both on top of the head, a star circling each of their heads.

Oryx rubbed his head and gave the child a dirty look. "Why do you always bring us back to reality?" Xzax pouted.

"Yeah, really, Telmx! Can't you let us stay drunk for once?" The shirtless man asked sadly, giving the child puppy eyes that would've melted Demyx into a puddle of water had it been directed at him. The child, however, seemed unaffected and simply turned away, watching Demyx calmly.

The boy finally spoke, his voice seeming so calm and collected that it made him seem much, much older than he really was, or at least appeared to be. "Another has arrived…another Lost One." The three Nobodies stiffened, recognizing the term. Telmx closed his eyes. "The Lost One has appeared in Sword territory. We must hurry to find him before _they_ do."

Demyx looked at Xzax and Oryx, appearing confused. "Uh…'they?'" Oryx stood and looked out the window before withdrawing a pair of gloves from his uniform pants and putting them on. Xzax ran to a back room and came back a moment later in a zip-up turtleneck tank top with a massive sword in tow. The blonde stood slowly, looking at the two nervously as they gathered potions and elixirs. "Um…Oryx? Xzax? What's going on? What's a sword have to do with anything? And who are this 'they' that the kid mentioned?"

Telmx answered him while the other two readied themselves. "The Swords…are the bringers of the True Death to Nobodies. They are dangerous, truly emotionless creatures that will kill any who enter their territory, Nobody or Somebody. Man, woman or child. It matters not to them." Demyx shuddered, giving his friends a frightened look. And they were going to run head first into such a dangerous place? He gulped as Oryx walked past him, grabbing his shoulder firmly.

"Demyx," The colonel said in a commanding tone. "Return to your room. Xzax and I will handle this."

"But…"

Xzax ruffled his hair, grinning down at the concerned blonde. "No worries, kiddo. We handle this stuff everyday." The two started out the door, but paused when Telmx spoke.

"No…take the Nocturne with you. He will be useful, and only he can quell the burning flames of destruction…" The three stared at the child in shock, and Demyx realized after a moment that both of his friends were now looking at him. He swallowed hard and wrung his hands nervously.

After several seconds, he took a deep breath and squared his shoulders, trying his best to look brave as he walked toward Oryx and Xzax, only to trip over his own feet and stumble as he said weakly, catching himself with the doorframe as his forehead bumped Xzax's chest, "Okay. I-I can do this!" Both dark haired Nobodies exchanged worried glances, but said nothing as they ran on either side of Demyx as they headed to rescue the Nobody before the Swords found him.

_Brighter Side_

_**Viewtiful Joe**_

**A/N –** Woo! Back to the plot! AKA: Story Arch 2. Bet you guys can figure out who the new Nobody is, ne? Shouldn't be hard. Anyway, nothing else to say. Until next time!


	12. Track 012 Luckiest Loser

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Kingdom Hearts or any of the other characters mentioned or used

**DISCLAIMER: **I don't own Kingdom Hearts or any of the other characters mentioned or used!!

**Chapter Summary:** It's a race against time as Demyx, Xzax and Oryx search Sword territory for a newcomer to Midnight Town. While Xzax and Oryx fight off Swords, it's up to Demyx to save the newcomer, but the big question is: how will he handle it when he finds out who this newcomer is?

**Pairing:** AkuDemy

**Rated:** T+ for language, violence and shounen-ai.

**A/N – **Well, here it is, folks. Chapter 12 of my first ever AkuDemy story. I'm actually really surprised that it's managed to last this long and that people (not many, but enough) are actually reading it. Yays!

Nothing else to say.

Enjoy!

_**Track 012**_

_-Luckiest Loser-_

The city seemed darker, scarier, in the broken down outskirts of what Oryx and Xzax called Haven, the buildings cracking and crumbling, a mere shadow of what it once was. It was unnervingly silent there, even as the three Nobodies, clothed in their black coats, hoods up, ran through the damp streets, the rain having passed a few minutes beforehand.

Occasionally, Demyx was certain he saw something inhuman in appearance in the shadows, but he brushed it off as nervousness as there was no way that anything, human or Nobody, could live in such a desolate place. The trio slowed to a stop at an intersection and Xzax was the first to speak, his voice soft and barely heard. "Alright, here's where we split up. Oryx, take the east." The colonel tensed and grabbed Demyx's arm as if to silently tell Xzax that Demyx was not to be left alone. The soldier was silent for a moment more before he whispered, "Oryx, I know you don't want to lose another one to the Swords, but, man, there's a Nobody out there who doesn't have a clue! We need to split up. Demyx, take the north, I'll take the west."

The colonel watched as Xzax ran off, turning his attention to Demyx, who looked up at him with wide blue eyes. The man tightened his grip on the blonde's arm as he whispered, "Be careful, rookie." He released Demyx's arm and took off, leaving a suddenly very scared Demyx alone in the dark, broken section of the city.

Hugging himself as he looked around, he tried not to think too hard about how dangerous a Sword probably was and that he was probably going to get attacked by every single one in the area. "Okay, Demyx, you can do this." He took a couple deep breaths before running down the indicated street, hoping he didn't have a klutz attack and trip over air again.

He searched for what felt like hours but was only half of one to no avail. Beginning to feel discouraged, he slowed to a walk, trying to figure out just where he was supposed to look. He sighed and hung his head in defeat, rubbing the back of his hooded head as he mumbled to himself, "Oh, man…why did they have to bring me along? I'm _so_ not the right guy for this."

A sudden explosion of flame startled him, the blonde yelping as he stumbled back away from the alley that had suddenly spewed fire at him and landed on his rear. He stared at the fire in shock, the crimson and orange light illuminating him. From the flames, a figure ran towards him, a pair of chakrams in his hands. _Axel…?!_ Demyx stood, but didn't get a chance to yell for the redhead when a black figure that seemed to have wings, but its shape was distorted and shifting, as if it didn't have a true form, slipped from the flames, appearing unharmed.

A scythe-like weapon appeared in its tendrils of darkness as it swung at Axel. Demyx, without thinking, ran forward and grabbed Axel's arm, dragging him out of the way. He turned and ran, dragging Axel with him despite the redhead's protests. They didn't stop until they reached Haven and Demyx turned, watching in confusion as the shapeless monster stopped at the border and faded into the darkness. Axel, chest heaving, turned to Demyx, who was still hidden by his hood and coat, and yelled, his voice rising in panic and frustration as he motioned frantically toward where the monster had been, "What the fuck was that?!"

The blonde bit his lip and shifted nervously, trying to convey silently that he didn't know. He squeaked when Axel grabbed his arms and growled, "Shaking your head and wringing your hands isn't giving me, a very, VERY pissed man, answers! Now, speak up!"

Slowly, the Nocturne lifted his head slightly, not enough to reveal his face, but enough to see the peridot eyes. Finally, he hung his head and spoke, hoping Axel didn't remember his voice, "They…I think…they…!" He froze. Xzax and Oryx were still in Sword territory. He jerked away from Axel and ran back as he yelled, "Get to that apartment! Just stay there!"

Axel stared after the Nobody in shock. He didn't even really hear what the smaller Nobody had said, but his voice was enough to make the redhead race after him. _Demyx. That was Demyx!_

The two ran silently, Axel keeping back far enough that the blonde wouldn't hear him, but close enough to see him. They stopped at an intersection when Oryx ran backwards toward them, dodging and ducking under the swinging scythe blades of a pair of Swords. He growled as he ducked and snapped his fingers, flames exploding under the monsters and sending them back.

The colonel's back hit Demyx and he whirled around, staring at him for a moment. "Demyx. Did you find the Nobody?!" He snapped his fingers once more to knock the Swords back and away.

"Y-yeah! Where's Xzax?!" Oryx motioned vaguely behind him in the direction that Xzax had run in and Demyx nodded. "P-please go back to Haven! I'll find Xzax!" Without waiting for a reply, he ran off, his unknown tail following after him. It wasn't hard to find Xzax, as the man caused about as much destruction with his sword as Oryx and Axel's flames did. His weapon seemed to also have about the same affect on the five Swords around him.

The man had discarded his coat, which was laying in strips on the ground, and was fighting with speed and strength Demyx didn't think possible with such a large sword, but it didn't stop him from getting nicked and cut by the scythes. The blonde summoned his Sitar and yelled, striking the cords, "Dance, water! Dance!" His water clones rushed forward and attacked the Swords, giving Xzax a chance to join his side.

"What took ya, Demy?" The soldier asked playfully, putting his sword on his back. "Did you guys find the Nobody?" Demyx nodded, backing up as he continued to play, summoning water clones and forms to protect them. "Good." The man turned slightly, blinking at the silent tail. "Hey, uh…is that him?" The blonde blinked, looking back. He hit a sour note and a clone exploded.

"Eek!" was all Demyx was able to utter. Xzax chuckled a bit and grabbed both Nobodies arms and ran, Demyx dismissing his Sitar and staring at Axel in shock.

They reached Haven easily, Oryx pacing the border worriedly. When he caught sight of Demyx, he ran forward and gathered the blonde into a tight hug as he said, worry tainting his voice, "You're alright...thank god…" Demyx blushed as he wiggled away, rubbing the back of his head while Xzax grinned and laughed at them.

"Um…yeah." He glanced at Axel, hoping dimly that the redhead would at least look a little jealous, but was shot down once more when he saw the look of indifference on the Flurry's face.

He sighed sadly and tugged his hood forward a bit more, hoping to hide his disappointment behind his hood. Xzax chuckled and patted his head in a brotherly manner and said happily to Axel, who seemed a bit startled at being spoken to, "So! What's your name? I'm Xzax, that's Oryx," The colonel nodded a bit in greeting. "And this is our newest little addition to the Midnight Knights, Demyx!" The blonde blinked. It was the first time he had ever heard _that_ term before, but he shouldn't have been surprised. After all, he could count on one hand the number of times he had left his apartment.

"The name's Axel. A-X-E-L. Got it memorized?" Xzax just blinked at him. "'Midnight Knights?'" Axel finally asked, raising an eyebrow.

Xzax shrugged. "It's pretty much a small band of Nobodies like us: special and each of us is completely one of a kind!" Oryx smirked, crossing his arms. Demyx had to agree with it, though he didn't exactly see himself as "one of a kind." He wrung his hands nervously and mumbled something about heading back to the apartment building. Oryx and Xzax nodded, both a little confused as to why the hyper blonde was suddenly so quiet.

"Demyx," The colonel said softly. "Take the newcomer to the apartment. Xzax and I are going to do a quick head count and make sure no one wandered into Sword territory." The blonde nodded numbly and motioned weakly for Axel to follow him, trying his hardest to not cry or pass out. For a while, he had been happy, thinking that he would actually be able to move on as Axel already had, but now that the man was back in his life, he was beginning to wonder if God hated him.

The two walked in silence, neither sure of what to say. It had been two months since they had last seen each other, and they hadn't expected to even be alive to meet again. And yet, by a twist of cruel fate, they were thrown back into each others lives and neither could even begin to comprehend what to do. The moogle at the counter seemed to sense the tension, as it scribbled down Axel's name and tossed him a key in under half a minute.

Demyx swallowed hard as he peeked at the key. It had a Z on it, and the blonde was a little relieved that they didn't share a block at least. He wasn't sure how he could have handled that. The agonizingly long elevator ride was enough to make him want to crawl under a rock and just die. Axel watched the blonde as Demyx shifted nervously, the smaller Nobody wringing his hands and keeping his head down underneath the hood.

The elevator doors opened and Demyx started to step out, but paused when he felt a hand grip his arm firmly, but gently. He looked back at Axel, who raised his other hand and flicked the hood off of the blonde's head. "Demyx…" The redhead mumbled, surprise in his voice even though he had known it for a while. It was just a shock to see the bright blue eyes that shined with innocence and sorrow. "You're…alive too, hm?" The blonde dropped his gaze.

"I know…weird, huh? I mean…" He grimaced, hugging himself with one arm. Everything he had done for Axel came back to mind and he was certain his pain and sadness was evident as he choked out, his vision blurring, "I'm j-just the weakest and dumbest Organization member who betrayed two orders in a row even though…" He lifted his other hand to his mouth, tears falling down his cheeks.

The redhead stared at the smaller Nobody in confusion. "Two orders?"

The blonde swallowed hard. If it meant getting away from Axel faster, he had to tell him. "I was supposed to keep you from leaving, and then I helped you get away. Because…because I knew…you loved Roxas more than anything else…" Fresh pain overwhelmed him and he tried to pull away, but Axel held him in place, silently urging him to continue. "And then I tried to fight the Heartless to protect my friend…Aeris…and Roxas he…he…"

The redhead grimaced. He remembered that one. He had been so furious that he had even thrown himself to the wolves to pay Xemnas back for sending the blonde into battle when he was obviously not cut out for it. Even if it meant helping the one who killed Demyx, he was happy knowing that Xemnas would get the big "fuck you" the redhead intended. "I know."

The blonde sniffled as he was tugged back toward Axel, the redhead wrapping his arms around the smaller male and holding him close. For a moment, Demyx let go of the pain and clung to Axel as he sobbed into the redhead's chest, blabbering everything that had happened without a thought. He was suddenly shoved away and held at arm's length as Axel snapped, anger in his voice, "Xemnas did what?!" The blonde stared at Axel for a moment, trying to figure out what he had been saying to make the Dancing Flames react so strongly.

When it clicked, he instantly felt the urge to take a very long shower to wash away the memories. "I…N-n-n-nothing…it was…" He winced when he was shaken slightly.

"Demyx, don't you dare do this again. What the fuck did you say he did? I swear to God. If you don't tell me, I'm going to SO kick your ass." He threatened. Demyx trembled, fresh tears welling in his eyes.

It took him several moments to choke the words out, and when he did, they didn't even register as a whisper. Axel demanded he repeat it and Demyx, frustrated and just wanting to hide in his room, yelled, slapping Axel's hands away, "He raped me, okay?! How many times do I have to say it? He raped me everyday because I promised to do anything to keep you safe! I took it for two months because I hoped you would come back, but you didn't! You never…you didn't even think of what would happen to me!" Axel stared at him in shock. "I can see why, I mean…" Demyx smiled, tears falling down his cheeks as he backed out of the elevator. "I'm just stupid Demyx. I'll forgive anything, right? It's all my fault anyway…I was the idiot who still wanted you to be happy with Roxas because I…you really loved him…" He shook his head and ran, ignoring Axel's shout for him to stop.

He slammed into his door and fought with the key, sniffling and sobbing. He finally got the door open, but didn't close it behind him in time. He yelped when Axel burst in, slamming the door behind him. The blonde struggled when the redhead grabbed him, but his struggles ceased the moment he felt Axel's lips against his own. The fiery man yanked him close, kissing him hard and eagerly.

Against his better judgment, he returned the kiss, crying even as the kiss was softened and held him gently around the waist. The kiss was broken and Axel rested his forehead against Demyx's, his peridot eyes searching Demyx's tear-filled blue ones for answers to the silent questions he had.

Apparently finding what he was looking for, he sighed, kissing Demyx's lips softly as he whispered, his words only for Demyx's ears, "Do I have to beg you to forgive me…? For giving you up to the darkness?" Demyx sniffled and nodded, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand. The redhead sighed, closing his eyes. "Then I'll keep begging until I eventually make it up to you."

Demyx smiled weakly. "O-okay."

_Luckiest Loser_

_**Bowling for Soup**_

**A/N –** Woohoo! Chapter twelve! Booya! Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy the Akudemy-ness, and no. They're still going to be have rough times. Nothing is ever happily-ever-after or butterflies and flower fields.

Well, until next time!


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